


He's Not Heavy, He's My Brother

by SoloShikigami



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Brotherly Affection, Brotherly Love, Brothers, Flashbacks, Gen, Gender-Neutral Frisk, Memories, Souls, The Void, baby bones
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-13
Updated: 2016-04-04
Packaged: 2018-05-26 09:21:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 34,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6233173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoloShikigami/pseuds/SoloShikigami
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sans, the older brother, has always taken good care of Papyrus - always protected him, always cared for him, always encouraged him no matter what he wanted to do.<br/>Papyrus, the little brother, has always appreciated Sans and once he was old enough he began returning the favor.<br/>But now, Sans needs Papyrus more than ever and it's a race against time to save his soul.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. After All This Time

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry...

It had been a year since monsters came to the surface. Frisk did well as the ambassador, but the job was soon handed over to an adult. Frisk was still the one people in their town approached if there was an issue between humans and monsters. 

Most monsters didn't move too far beyond the Underground - most of them settled in the shadow of Mount Ebott. Frisk and Toriel lived in a small house, Sans and Papyrus had one very similar to their Snowdin home next door, Alphys and Undyne only lived a few more houses away as did Asgore. The best part was an untouched field where the kids loved to play, especially Frisk and Papyrus. 

During the autumn, Sans watched them run around, blow on white puffy things that grew from the ground and chased after the fluff as it went across the grass. In winter, it was the prime spot for building snowmen, snow skeletons, and Papyrus spent a few weeks making insane puzzles that never actually worked. Spring brought flowers and butterflies to chase, and the winds were changing again and summer would soon arrive. 

Today, Papyrus and Frisk were running races with other children; wheelbarrow races, three-legged races, races that involved carrying your partner, which didn't work out very well, but everyone laughed and had fun anyway. 

As always, Sans watched over them, either sitting or lying where the land swelled up into a small hill. He usually dozed off at one point, but as more children (both monster and human) joined playing in the field, the more he stayed awake. 

However, Sans was pleased to find that he didn't need to be so vigilant; his little brother and Frisk were in no danger, and it was good that Frisk was making more friends. 

"Here we go," Sans murmured to himself in amusement as he watched Papyrus make his way towards him. 

There was always a point in their play where they tried to get Sans to join. Sometimes he did. Today, Papyrus was coming up by himself, grinning and breathing hard as he sat next to his older brother. 

"Sans you should come play with us!" Papyrus said, shoving his shoulder. 

"Nah, having fun watching you guys run around," Sans said with a wink. 

Papyrus narrowed his eyes slightly, wondering if that was a pun. "You really should get some exercise! It's good for you!" 

"Hm. Nah, don't want to run myself ragged." 

"Ugh." 

"I really shouldn't give you the run around though." 

"Sans." 

"Just remember, bro, there is a time and pace for everything." 

"GAAAAH!!!" 

Sans chuckled while Papyrus seethed. Frisk heard Papyrus and looked up at them. Sans gave him a thumbs-up and Frisk covered their mouth, probably giggling, before another child called to them. 

"Frisk having fun down there?" Sans asked. 

"Nyeh? Oh! Yes! We are making so many new friends!" Papyrus said with a grin, forgetting the puns. "It was a little difficult for Frisk at first, and the human children were probably scared, too, but I, the Great Papyrus, reminded Frisk that he was am amazing ambassador and he could certainly make human child friends if he tried!" 

Sans chuckled. "You are so awesome." 

"Well," Papyrus pulled his knees to his chest. "You know, a lot of the children are like us - brothers and sisters. It's too bad Frisk doesn't have a brother like I do." 

Sans chuckled. "What about you?" 

"Hmm, that is true," Papyrus said, rubbing his chin. "And I, the Great Papyrus am the best little brother around!" 

"So now you are the coolest big brother around." 

"But that's you, Sans." 

Sans was quiet for a minute. He lay back on the grass and folded his hands behind his head. 

"I have a stupid question," Sans murmured. 

"Okay?" 

"Was I a good brother?" 

Papyrus laughed. "That _is_ a stupid question. You are the best big brother anyone could ever ask for!" Papyrus looked at him with a somewhat worried look. "You do know you are pretty much everything to me, Sans, don't you? Not only are you my brother, but my father, mother, uncle, friend..." 

"Come on, you also have Toriel, Asgore, Undyne, Alphys, of course Frisk-" 

"But they weren't always there! I love them all dearly, you know I do, but who took care of me growing up? Who read to me every night? Who carried me when the snow was too deep? Who encouraged me to join the Royal Guard? You even started my training!” he turned to face his brother and reached over to put a hand on his elbow. “I have always appreciated everything you’ve done for me, and I’m sure you have even done things that I don’t even know about.” 

Sans flinched inwardly, his mind flashing to an unpleasant memory involving knives and slashes and a red scarf without an owner. Thankfully it passed quickly and he chuckled. 

“You’d do the same for me,” he said. 

“That I would.” 

Sans looked over at him. “Papyrus, you’ll make the coolest big brother ever.” 

“Are you coming back, Mr. Papyrus?” a little girl called up to him. “We’re going to play Red Rover!” 

“The Great Papyrus will play!” he leaped to his feet. “Come on, Sans, you should try at least one of the human games!” 

“I’m good,” Sans said with a grin. “Just remember, it’s your turn to be the big brother.” 

Papyrus tilted his head with a slight frown as Sans closed his eyes. After a moment he shook his head and ran off to play. 

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ 

The sun was beginning to set when Frisk told Papyrus that they had better get going before Toriel worried and came looking for them. They called to Sans, but he didn’t answer. 

“You really are such a lazybones,” Papyrus sighed, looking down at his brother’s sleeping form. He nudged Sans’ side with his foot. “Come on, Sans, get up.” 

Sans didn’t move. Frisk frowned and looked up at Papyrus questioningly. 

Papyrus shrugged, sighed, and bent to pick up his brother and carried him to Toriel’s. 

“Hello, boys!” Toriel greeted them as they came through the door, wiping her hand on her apron. “Did you have fun?” 

Frisk nodded as they hugged her. She brushed her fingers through their hair for a moment, smiling down, and then she looked up at the skeleton brothers with a warm smile and chuckle. 

“I guess Sans had too much fun?” she asked. 

Papyrus rolled his eyes. “If by fun you mean he sat and watched us.” 

“Ah, well, why not put him on the couch? I’ll keep a plate warm for him.” 

They ate dinner, told Toriel about their afternoon, she made them tea, and soon it was nearly bedtime. 

“Sans still hasn’t woken up,” Toriel said. “Are you sure he is all right?” 

Papyrus worried at the edge of his scarf; sure, Sans was lazy, but he would have at least woken up during dinner. He grinned, determined to hide his worry. 

“Yes, but I should get him home, I’m sure sleeping in his own bed would be much more comfortable.” 

Toriel raised an eyebrow as Papyrus pushed away from the table. She looked over to Frisk, expecting some elaboration, when Papyrus’ rising voice caught her attention. 

“Sans? Sans?!? Sans, this isn’t funny! Wake up!” Papyrus sounded completely panicked. “SANS?! TORIEL, HELP!!!” 

Toriel and Frisk rushed into the living room. Papyrus was kneeling on the floor by the couch, his hands shaking and stuck somewhere between shaking his brother and burying his face in them. 

“HE WON’T WAKE UP!!!”


	2. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead... Oh, Wait

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus finds himself facing a probability he wasn't prepared for.
> 
> PS I suck at chapter titles :-P

“Thank you, Alphys, please be quick,” Toriel said through the phone. “Of course. See you soon.” 

Frisk frowned up at Toriel. "What’s wrong with Sans?" they asked. 

“I do not know, my child, hopefully Dr. Alphys will be able to figure it out.” 

They moved Sans into the guest room. Toriel was shocked at how cold Sans felt when she brushed a hand across his forehead to attempt a healing spell; skeletons weren’t particularly warm creatures, however this was unnaturally cold. Papyrus didn’t break contact with him and now sat at the bed alternating between holding San’s hand and gently shaking him as he spoke to him. 

"How come your healing magic didn’t work?" 

“I do not know that either, and that makes it even more concerning,” Toriel sighed. “Are you sure Sans hasn’t said anything today? No complaints? No odd actions?” 

"No." 

Toriel nodded. “Be a dear and wait downstairs for Alphys?” 

Frisk nodded and went downstairs. Toriel went into the bedroom and stood behind Papyrus and placed a warm hand on his shoulder. 

“Papyrus, dear, did Sans say anything recently about not feeling well?” Toriel asked. 

Papyrus shook his head. “No, not a thing!” Tears flowed freely down his face. “Today we even talked about our relationship; I thanked him for being the best brother, he told me I would make the best big brother for Frisk, but I don’t know if I’m doing it right if he’s not around!” 

Papyrus was trying hard to not dissolve into hysterics, and while it was working, his whole body shook violently and his breathing was erratic and he was starting to wheeze. 

Toriel wrapped her arms around his shoulders and made shushing noises, trying to assure Papyrus that everything was going to be all right. 

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ 

An hour later, Papyrus sat at the kitchen table with a hot cup of tea steaming under his nose; Undyne and Frisk sat with him to keep him company. Tremors still ran through him every minute or so and he continued an almost endless murmur. 

“Can’t lose him… It’s too soon… He can’t leave me… Sans, don’t leave me… Not yet…” 

Frisk and Undyne kept sharing uncomfortable glances because there was nothing either of them could say or do, and they had tried, but Papyrus was inconsolable. 

There were footsteps down the stairs, a moment later Alphys was laying a hand on Papyrus’ shoulder. 

“Papyrus,” she said gently. 

Papyrus immediately stood up, knocking the chair over and moving the table, spilling his untouched tea. He gripped Alphys by the shoulders and lifted her up. “HOW IS MY BROTHER, DR. ALPHYS?!?! PLEASE TELL ME HE’S OKAY! PLEASE! PLEASE! Please…” 

Undyne immediately got to her feet and gripped Papyrus’ upper arm. 

“Relax, Pap, put Alphys down,” Undyne said firmly, but calmly. 

Alphys nodded a thanks to her girlfriend, feeling better once solid ground was back under her feet. She didn’t fault the tall skeleton for his actions, but he forgot his own strength and height sometimes. 

“Papyrus, have a seat,” Alphys said, straightening her lab coat. 

Papyrus let Undyne lead him back to his chair, which Toriel righted. Alphys sat across from him and took off her glasses for a moment to rub her eyes. 

“Papyrus, Sans’ time is running out,” Alphys sighed. “I’m not sure if he actually finished figuring that mystery out, so I don’t know if there is anything that we can do for him.” 

Papyrus blinked. “What mystery? What do you mean his time is running out?? WHAT IS GOING ON?” 

“P-please stop y-yelling,” Alphys sighed. She didn’t stutter as often these days, but when she was stressed it came out. She gave Papyrus a hard look once his words sank in. “Did Sans never tell you about his condition?” 

Papyrus shook his head, sniffling. “No! What condition?” 

“Damn you, Sans,” Alphys looked at the ceiling. “Papyrus, you know how HP works for us monsters?” 

“Of course,” he said in a careful tone. 

“And you know that Sans only has one HP.” 

“Because he’s lazy and won’t make himself better.” 

“N-no, Papyrus, it’s, it’s because, d-damn it he really sh-should have t-told you,” Alphys stuttered, rubbing her temples. “Okay, look, this is something Sans had told me a long time ago, and we should be grateful that he said anything.” 

“Self-destructive pain in the ass,” Undyne grumbled under her breath. 

“I don’t know everything, Papyrus, but I know Sans participated in some sort of experiment that involved researching souls. He told me that he has the capacity for fifteen HP, but slowly it dwindled during the process because he had given a piece of his soul up as well.” 

“Is that even possible?” Toriel asked. 

“Apparently, though it seems to shorten ones lifespan. Sans had warned me that there was a possibility that he would, well…” 

Papyrus looked devastated. “No, please, tell me there is something I can do,” he nearly sobbed as a new waterfall of tears began leaking from his eye sockets. 

“I, I don’t know, Papyrus,” Alphys said softly. “I mean, Sans mentioned he was working on something to make everything better, but he only mentioned it. I have no idea if he succeeded, if he even started it... Soon after, he left with you, so,” she trailed off and looked to the floor. 

Papyrus shuddered in grief. 

“Oh, Papyrus,” Toriel breathed, moving to hug the skeleton from behind. “Oh sweetheart, I am so terribly sorry.” 

Undyne reached over towards him, but hesitated; she was never sure what to do in these sorts of emotional situations. 

Frisk was also heartbroken. They folded their arms on the table and dropped their head and began to cry quietly. 

Alphys’ words slowly sank into Papyrus’ mind, but after a moment something she said resonated something within him, bringing back a memory. 

“The secret room,” his voice was just barely a whisper. 

“What was that, dear?” 

Papyrus leaped up again. “THE SECRET ROOM! THERE IS A SECRET ROOM!” 

The room was still and silent; everyone was looking up at the skeleton, whose eyes shone with renewed hope as the thoughts ran through his mind. 

Without warning, Papyrus bolted from the kitchen and took the stairs two at a time and burst into the guest room where Sans was lying still and unresponsive. Papyrus rushed to the side of the bed and gripped Sans’ still hand, ignoring how cold it felt. 

“Hold on, brother, I believe I have the solution,” he murmured. “You always cared for me, you were always there for me, and now it’s my turn. You were right; it’s my turn to be the big brother. Just hold on until I return.” 

Papyrus stood, laying the hand he held gently over Sans’ chest, and he watched with a heavy heart for a moment as it rose and fell only slightly and very, very slowly. He hesitated for a moment before bending down and touching his forehead to his brother’s. 

“Promise me you’ll hold on,” he whispered. 

Papyrus straightened, took a few steps backwards, part of him never wanting to leave his brother’s side in case the worst should happen, then finally he turned around and ran out the door. 

The others were slowly making their way up the stairs when Papyrus nearly ran them down as he passed them. 

“Papyrus! What are you-?” Undyne shouted, but Papyrus was out the door and it slammed shut in his wake. 

The three monsters and human child were frozen where they stood. 

“Sh-sh-should we go after him?” Alphys asked, 

They all jumped when a cell phone went off. 

“It’s Papyrus,” Undyne said, fishing her phone from her pocket. She decided to put it on speaker. “Paps, you better have a damn good explanation and you’re on speaker because you owe all of us-” 

“No time!” Papyrus snapped. “You need to promise to take care of Sans.” 

“What?!” 

“Damn it, Undyne, PROMISE ME!” 

Undyne blinked in shock. Paapyrus never swore. “Uh, y-yeah, of c-course,” she stammered. 

“Take. Good. Care. Of. Him,” Papyrus actually sounded threatening. “Oh, and your highness, I do apologize for leaving so suddenly, but I have to go save my brother. I have to go back to the Underground.” 

Frisk quietly broke away and snuck up to their room. 

“Oh, of course, Papyrus, but, do you think this is wise?” 

They all could hear some shuffling in the background, and then a door slamming shut. 

“Yes. I will not let Sans die.” 

“We don’t expect you to, you moron, but you can’t just go off by yourself!” 

“You promised me you would take care of him!” he reminded her hotly. “And I most certainly can! I’m not incompetent!” 

Undyne was about to shout at him but her mouth snapped shut. She realized that sometimes she did forget that Papyrus was a capable skeleton. She also forgot that when he set his mind on something, there was no turning back. 

“All right,” she said. “Just be careful, Papyrus. Call us if you need anything.” 

There was another slam of a door. “Will do, and thank you all.” 

The phone cut off. Alphys went to the living room window, which faced the front yard, and saw Papyrus running down the street – he was dressed back in the armor he wore when they were still Underground and had a small bag on his back. 

“He’s heading to the mountain,” she said. 

Toriel sighed. “Oh, I do hope he knows what he is doing,” she heard Frisk’s approaching footsteps and she looked up to find Frisk dressed and with a backpack. “And where do you think you are going, child?” 

"You know I have to go with him," Frisk said. 

“No, you do not,” Toriel said sternly. “Papyrus is a perfectly capable monster.” 

"I am a perfectly capable human," Frisk reminded her. "Besides, what if he can’t get back? The only way is how I fell into the ruins." 

Toriel sighed deeply; she remembered quite clearly another similar situation a little over a year ago. 

“Come down into the kitchen, Frisk,” she murmured. 

Frisk grinned and hopped down the stairs. Undyne looked at Toriel, wide-eyed. 

“You can’t be serious,” Undyne murmured, then shook her head and followed them. “We don’t know what’s been going on down there since we left; who knows if anyone moved in since we moved out?! It’s bad enough Papyrus went out there, you’re going to let the punk go too?!?” 

“Yes,” Toriel said, voice tight. “If Frisk wants to go help Papyrus, then I will not stop them. I won’t be able to. Frisk is a determined child, after all, and if they survived the Underground once, they will do so again,” she began pulling out various jars from cabinets and dropping them into Frisk’s bag. “Besides, Papyrus really isn’t in his proper mind, and maybe in their travels, Frisk learned a few new things himself.” 

Frisk grinned and nodded. Toriel zipped the backpack back up and knelt to hug Frisk. 

“Please be careful, call us when you rejoin Papyrus.” 

"I will, and thank you, Mom." 

Another hug. “Get going.” 

“Be careful, punk,” Undyne said, reaching down to ruffle Frisk’s hair. 

“Yes, please be careful,” Alphys said, hugging Frisk. 

With a wave, Frisk was out the door and running down the street, hoping that they could catch up with Papyrus before they lost him for good. 

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ 

Papyrus heard hurried footsteps behind him. He glanced over his shoulder to see a familiar figure running towards him. 

“Frisk?” 

Frisk ran faster and stopped in front of Papyrus, breathing hard, bending over and resting their hands on their knees. After a moment, they looked up and grinned. 

“I don’t have time for this,” Papyrus said curtly before turning and beginning to walk again. 

Frisk followed. 

“You should go home, I will handle this,” Papyrus said. “Sans is my brother.” 

He suddenly felt himself being pulled back; Frisk had grabbed his scarf. 

"He’s my brother now, too, and so are you," Frisk signed. 

“Then go back and help look after him,” Papyrus said, pointing back towards the houses. “That’s an order from your big brother.” 

Suddenly a memory flashed in Papyrus’ mind. 

_“Just stay here and look after the house,” a pre-teen Sans said. “That’s an order from your big brother. Also, don’t go into the kitchen.”_

_A teary-eyed little Papyrus looked up at him pleadingly. “Please don’t leave me alone, brother, I miss you!”_

_Sans’ face softened, and he bent down to hug him._

_“All right, you win. Come on.”_

_Papyrus grinned. “Nyeh heh heh! The Great Papyrus gains victory!”_

Papyrus shook his head. “Okay, Frisk, come on.” 

Frisk grinned and grabbed his hand and they began to run. 

_“Just remember, it’s your turn to be the big brother.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... I feel kinda bad for what I did to Papyrus (T_T)  
>  You can come tell me how I'm a terrible person on Tumblr: @SoloShikigami


	3. We Have To Go Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus and Frisk re-enter the Underground and found that not much has changed.  
> Or has it?

Papyrus and Frisk found that they couldn't find where the broken barrier was anymore. Frisk somehow had a feeling that his would happen and reminded a distraught Papyrus that they were certain that the way they fell would still work. 

"Probably would be the better way to go anyhow," Papyrus reasoned. "You fell into the ruins? Well, that is a lot closer to Snowdin than the castle, and that is where we want to be." 

Frisk nodded and they headed up the mountain. As they went, Papyrus realized that their pace was slowing and it was mostly because of Frisk. It was very late and the child should be in bed instead of heading up a mountain. 

"Let me carry you, that way you can get some rest," Papyrus said, dropping to one knee. 

Frisk climbed onto his back, wrapping their legs around his sides as best they could while their arms draped over his shoulders. Papyrus hoisted them up and started walking again at a fast pace. Frisk fell asleep almost immediately and Papyrus hoped he could find the entrance on his own. 

After some time he started to wonder if perhaps he should have waited for the morning. That thought was chased away quickly by the image of Sans lying in bed, the most still that Papyrus has ever seen him and bones cold to the touch. He shuddered. 

"Maybe I could wake Frisk," he murmured. 

Of course, just as the thought finished firing across his mind, the ground seemed to disappear under his feet and the two were falling. 

Papyrus gripped onto Frisk tight and panicked, but just as quickly he began focusing his magic abilities. He wasn't quite as good as Sans, but it proved enough when their decent was slowed by a pale orange glow that surrounded them. Papyrus righted himself as they continued down and saw the bed of yellow flowers a few moments before they landed. The force was still enough to make Papyrus drop to his knees, jolting Frisk awake. Papyrus was too focused on making sure his legs were willing to lift them again when he noticed little fingers moving in front of his face. He couldn't read the signs too well due to positioning and that they were essentially backwards. 

"Go back to sleep, Frisk, we are all right," Papyrus assured them. 

He straightened, a little shakily, he felt Frisk shifting behind him. 

"Shh, everything is okay," Papyrus said in as soothing of a voice as he could muster. 

He felt the little human snuggle into his scarf. Papyrus smiled. 

_“Here you go, bro, this should help,” Sans said, wrapping the red scarf around Papyrus’ neck._

_“Wowie! Thank you, Sans! Now I look really cool!” Papyrus said, posing._

_“You always look cool, Pap,” Sans said, running his knuckles along the side of Papyrus’ skull in a loving gesture. “You gotta take it easy on the milk, dude, otherwise I’m going to have you carry me around.”_

_Papyrus was only half an inch shorter than his brother these days._

_“You’re so lazy, Sans! Besides, I’m not baby bones anymore! You don’t have to carry me!” he struck a pose. “I’m The Great Papyrus after all! Nyeh heh heh! Also I will always drink my milk because it is good for you; maybe if you drank yours you wouldn’t be so short!”_

_Sans chuckled. “Sure, lil’ bro, whatever you say. I’ll milk my height over you a little longer though.”_

_“That’s not funny.”_

_“Maybe we ought to invest in a cow; it would be bo-vine.”_

_“That doesn’t even make sense!”_

_“I don’t cal-see-um your point.”_

_“SANS STOP IT!”_

Papyrus sighed. He realized that Sans probably went hungry often those days because he was so concerned over making sure Papyrus was taken care of. He also gave Papyrus his jacket, braving the elements in his white shirt and shorts and insisting that he was fine. Anytime they were lucky enough to get access to a bed, Sans would usually move to sit on the floor. Papyrus started making it a habit to ask for stories and faking nightmares so his brother would cuddle next to him, and it wouldn’t take long for him to fall asleep. 

“I’ll save you,” Papyrus murmured, the memories serving as continuing motivation for his quest. 

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ 

Papyrus sighed. The ruins weren’t particularly difficult to go through, the puzzles weren’t even that challenging due to the notes that he came to realize were Toriel’s notes. He was beginning to wonder where the end of the ruins were when he finally came upon a house. It looked very familiar. 

“Hmm, it looks a bit like King Asgore’s house,” Papyrus murmured. The door was open and he cautiously stuck his head inside. “Hello? Is anyone home?” 

There was no answer, so he ventured forward. The house smelled musty and felt very still. There was a set of stairs before him. He remembered vaguely of Toriel and Frisk telling stories of their first day in the Underground and he was certain that the exit was in the basement. 

Frisk shifted behind him. 

“Are you awake?” 

Papyrus could feel a nod against his back. He dropped to a knee and Frisk hopped off of his back. 

‘Wow, you got here fast,’ Frisk said. 

“The Great Papyrus is a master of puzzles! They were all quite simple!” 

Frisk raised an eyebrow. ‘Mom left notes.’ 

“Yes. She did.” 

They stood in silence for a couple of moments. 

“Are you hungry? Should we stop?” 

‘Have you been walking all this time? Aren’t you tired?’ 

“Not at all!” 

Frisk gave him a look. 

“Come along, we can’t waste anymore time!” Papyrus glanced around. “Which way do we go to get out of here?” 

Frisk let out a small sigh and waved Papyrus to follow. The two started down the stairs and into a long, dark hallway. 

“Hold it right there!” 

Papyrus and Frisk froze. 

"Who goes there?" Papyrus called out. 

There was an odd skittering sound that slowly seemed to surround them, but they couldn't actually see anything. Frisk looked behind them and tugged Papyrus' hand. The skeleton looked to where Frisk pointed and they saw that the hallway behind them was being blocked by a massive spider-web that was still being spun thick. 

There was a sound of metal dragging across the hard ground. Papyrus turned to face the source of the sound and saw a tall, muscular spider who was wielding a variety of weapons - a stick, an axe, a metal chain, a chain of yellow flowers, a spork, and it dragged a very large, heavy sword. 

"Who dares to invade the Ruins?" the spider monster demanded. 

"I am the Great Papyrus and I am accompanied by the Frisk the Human!" Papyrus declared. "And we are not invading! I am trying to reach my home in Snowdin. Time is of the essence so if you'll excuse us-" 

“You will venture no further until you face the wrath of Toughett!” the monster shouted, whipping the chain around threateningly. 

Papyrus gripped Frisk’s shoulder and pulled the child behind him. 

“I don’t want to fight you,” Papyrus said gently. 

Toughett threw the axe and it landed centimeters from Papyrus’ toes, making him gasp. 

“You have no choice!”


	4. Meanwhile, Back At The Ranch...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk didn't call Toriel and it's upsetting her delicate mommy-senses... Granted, she still has scars from her past, but Undyne reminds her that she needn't suffer alone.  
> The girls are f-ing exhausted.

"Frisk? I'm sure you have your reasons, but you made a promise and breaking it is unacceptable. We are worried about you and Papyrus, please call us soon." 

Toriel let the phone slip from it hand after she hung up, letting the small device clatter on the kitchen table. Somewhat heavy footsteps came down the stairs and a scaly hand rested on her shoulder. 

"Toriel, you should really get some sleep," Undyne said softly. 

"Not until I hear from Papyrus and Frisk," Toriel said firmly. 

"Maybe the reception doesn't work between here and Underground," Undyne laughed a little. "I don't know about you, but my phone cuts out if I go through one of those puny tunnels they have here on the surface." 

Toriel covered her face with her hands. "I just wish I knew if they were all right. Did they make it? What monsters stayed behind? Are they dangerous?" 

Undyne pulled a chair next to her. "I was considered a dangerous monster, and I still can be. Frisk not only met me eye to eye, but without violence and they even saved my life." 

Toriel smiled, her hands moving underneath her ears. "Yes, Frisk had told me what had happened," she chuckled to herself. "I know Frisk survived the Underground, Papyrus knows the way, but I don't know what this secret lab is that Papyrus mentioned, Sans is still..." 

Toriel's voice trailed off, her hands dropped to the table and her head followed. Undyne lay her hand on her back and found Toriel was shaking. She was crying. 

"Toriel..." 

"I can't do this, Undyne, and no one understands what this is like. No one I know has ever lost their child!" 

Toriel sobbed loudly as the unbidden memories came forth. Undyne sighed, rubbing her back a little and letting the tears ride out. Once Toriel stopped crying loudly, Undyne squeezed her shoulder. 

"You know, you really aren't," Undyne said. 

"Huh? I'm not what?" Toriel asked, looking up, her face a mess. 

Undyne got up and found a paper towel and dropped it in front of the goat monster. "You really aren't the only one who lost their child, Toriel." 

Toriel wiped her face and blew her nose, remembering why she avoided crying - her head now hurt and she couldn't breathe through her nose. She looked up at the fish monster, who was staring down at her with a mix of impatience and sympathy. Toriel glared. 

"He brought that on himself," she all but snarled. 

"Not at first," Undyne sat back down so she could look into Toriel's eyes. "You really shouldn't forget that Asriel was Asgore's son, too. He's still just as hurt over his loss as you are. The first child, that first human child that you both took in, all three of you really... Once I found out what happened, I did begin to wonder if maybe you all didn't go about grieving the right way." 

Toriel had looked angry when Undyne first started speaking, but as she went on, the anger drained as she realized that she was right. 

"I can't really say, though," Undyne said in a very, very quiet voice. "I haven't lost anyone. Don't tell the others, but I am really scared that we're going to lose Sans. Not only is it going to suck, but I can't imagine what will happen to Papyrus, and that really, _really_ fucking sucks," Undyne shook her head and shook herself out of her thoughts. When she spoke again, she sounded angry. "Look, you do what you want. You know Asgore and I have known each other for a very long time. We are still very close friends. I don't know everything, but I know enough to tell you that if you think for a single moment that you are the only one who felt loss, the only one who lost a child, two children, you are sadly mistaken." 

Undyne left the table and went back upstairs to rejoin Alphys, who had kept an eye over Sans for the past few hours. 

Toriel looked down at the crumpled paper towel in her hands. At first she felt like knocking the former captain out, but she quickly came to the realization that she was right. She didn't, couldn't, forgive him for what he did after, but they both shared the same grief. Perhaps she was being a little unfair, and it had been such a long time, and it was probably going to help heal their wounds to share their loss instead of locking themselves away. 

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"How is he?" Undyne asked, leaning against the doorframe. 

Alphys sighed, looking up from the fanfic she was half-heartedly reading on her phone. 

"The same as he was hours ago," she murmured. 

"Do you think he'll wake up at all?" 

"I do not know. He told me so little and I count it lucky that that the little I could tell helped Papyrus remember, well, whatever he remembered." 

Undyne shifted her weight uncomfortably. "Do you think Papyrus could really figure any of it out?" 

"I don't know. Don't get me wrong, I like Papyrus a lot, he's quite funny and a wonderful friend, but, erm..." 

"He's not as smart as you or Sans." 

Alphys chuckled, looking at her friend's still form. "I don't think I met anyone as smart as Sans." 

Suddenly, Alphys' phone dropped from her hands and she began to cry. Undyne quickly moved forward to comfort her; they were all exhausted, they had been up all night and the sun had begun to rise at least an hour ago. 

"Hey, babe, I think you need to get some sleep," Undyne said, rubbing Alphys' back. "I'm sure Toriel wouldn't mind you using the couch, I could walk you home, or we could even go next door - Papyrus gave me a copy of their house key." 

"No, I shouldn't, what if-" 

"Sans isn't going anywhere, I promise, and we won't be far." 

"W-w-well, maybe the couch..." 

Undyne smiled. "Good, come on." 

She helped Alphys get settled on the couch and sat with her until she fell asleep. Once she did, Undyne went back upstairs to take over watching Sans. She met Toriel about halfway up; she had changed her clothes and she looked tired, but calm. 

"I, uhm, you are correct, Undyne. I shouldn’t have forgotten that Asgore also suffered loss.” 

Undyne blushed and little and rubbed at her arm. She felt a little awkward bringing the idea up now, and being told she was right was borderline embarrassing. 

“I have invited Asgore over for tea. We are going to talk. Can I bring you some tea?” 

“Uh, no thanks, I’ll, uhm, I’ll just go make sure Sans is all right.” 

The fish monster all but bolted up the rest of the stairs. Toriel smiled after her, then went into the kitchen to start the tea. 

In the guest room, Undyne turned the chair around and leaned over the back with a grumble. 

“You know, Sans, if you could do me a solid and just wake up for a few minutes, I’ll buy you all the ketchup you could drink,” Undyne mumbled. Of course, she was met with silence. “A sound? A muscle twitch? Come on, punk, give me something.” 

There was no answer.


	5. Toughett Approaches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus versus Toughett!
> 
> Yay I suck at summaries!

Toughett growled at the two. Papyrus clicked his teeth a little nervously; he really didn’t want to fight, he didn’t want to hurt anyone, but he wasn’t sure if even Frisk could take on this spider monster. 

“We really don’t want to hurt anyone or harm anything,” Papyrus said, holding his hands up in a placating manner. “Frisk has never harmed a spider! As far as I can recall, I haven’t either-” 

Papyrus was cut off when the metal chain was whipped towards them again. It was only just long enough that it would have grazed Papyrus had he not leaned back. 

“Come on! Fight me, monster! Human!” Toughett demanded. 

He threw the chain of flowers at them. Papyrus raised an eye-ridge as the chain landed over his shoulder. Frisk leaned forward and sniffed some of the flowers, took the chain, and started connecting it to make a crown. 

“Erm, excuse me, Toughett, what was that meant to do?” Papyrus asked slowly. 

“It was meant to irritate your assuredly sensitive allergies!” Toughett exclaimed, holding a fist in front of him as if grasping his own victory. 

Papyrus glanced back at Frisk. “Do you have allergies?” 

“Is he serious?” Frisk replied. 

“You shall fall to me!” Toughett swung the chain around and brandished the spork threateningly. He took a step forward, the sword dragging behind him. 

Papyrus backed up again as the chain was whipped in his direction again. Frisk pat Papyrus on the back frantically, and he glanced behind him to find that they were inches from the thick webbing that blocked their way. 

“Have at thee!” 

Papyrus turned back to Toughett and flinched as he saw the stick hurled towards him. The stick wasn’t that heavy, he realized, as it bounced off his chest and fell to his feet. Papyrus bent to pick it up – he found it wasn’t a stick at all, but a piece of cardboard twisted and painted to look like a stick. Papyrus frowned and handed it to Frisk, figuring maybe they could figure it out. 

Frisk frowned up at Papyrus. 

“Toughett, perhaps we could have a friendly discussion?” Papyrus asked. “I see you have an eating utensil, perhaps I can make you my famous Friendship Spaghetti! Frisk will tell you I am a master pasta chef!” 

“I will not lose to you!” 

“Ow! Hey!” Papyrus looked to his feet. The plastic utensil lay on the ground. “Did… Did you just throw that at me? Why?! That was so rude!” 

Toughett let out a roar that the two could feel through the air. Frisk stumbled back into the web and got stuck. Papyrus turned to the shocked noise Frisk let out, gasping at their predicament, and then reached to pull them free. Frisk shook their head, trying to tell Papyrus to stay away. 

“Heh, heh, heh,” Toughett chuckled darkly. “You are doomed,” he took a step forward, dragging the sword with him. “You two will make for a lovely feast for my clan,” another slow step, another scrap of the sword against the ground. “and with your remains, well, we’ll find something interesting to do with them.” 

Papyrus turned and stood as a shield between Toughett and Frisk. He shook slightly, making his bones rattle at the spider monster. 

_“The hell you are,” Sans growled, standing between Papyrus and a dangerous-looking figure._

_A tiny Papyrus cowered behind his brother, his tiny body shaking with fear._

_**Clackety clackety clack!** _

_Papyrus looked up between his fingers to see Sans shaking, his bones clacking and rattling at the threat. It seemed to think better of it._

Papyrus rattled his bones even more, but it didn’t deter Toughett. He looked up with a squeak of surprise to find the spider monster towering over him, giving him a nasty leer. 

“I will turn you into dust,” he growled. 

Toughett gripped the sword tighter and went to lift it, but the sword didn’t move. He reached down with another arm, wrapping long fingers around the thick handle and tried again, but the sword still didn’t move. He turned to it, gripping the hilt with two other hands and grunted as he tried again. The sword barely lifted an inch off of the ground. Toughett roared in frustration as all six hands wrapped around the hilt, he bent his knees and shouted in effort as he tried to lift the sword again, but again, it barely left the ground. 

Papyrus and Frisk watched with a mix of fear and anticipation, and they would be lying if they said they didn’t find it a little amusing. Their amusement was short lived when Toughett let go of the sword completely and it clattered noisily on the ground. 

“I’ll tear you limb from limb with my own bare hands!” 

“You can do that to me, I can reattach them!” Papyrus declared proudly. “But I don’t think humans work that way,” he hummed in thought. “Maybe we could make a game out of it- eep!” 

Toughett gripped Papyrus’ wrist and lifted him nearly a foot in the air. 

“If they come off, I’ll be sure they can’t be reattached,” he snarled. 

“Just what do you think you are doing?!?” a prim voice called down the hall. 

Toughett dropped Papyrus in shocked and whipped around. “Muffet?” 

The other spider monster stepped out of the shadows dressed in a black, purple, and white lacey dress with perfectly matching shoes and white gloves on every hand. A thick, heavy coat covered most of her, and a lovely furry white hat topped off the whole ensemble. The look on her face was angry and ugly compared to the rest of her finery. 

“I am appalled by your actions! Is this what the spider clan of the Ruins have been reduced to? Barbaric bullies?!” she shouted. 

“Cousin Muffet? How in the world-?” 

She pushed past him and went to Papyrus. “I do apologize for my Cousin Tuffet’s horrible behavior. He always was a bit of a brute.” 

She offered Papyrus a hand up, which he took. 

“I thought his name was Toughett?” he said. 

Muffet huffed. “Of all the-” she took a calming breath. “No, his name is Tuffet, and he _should be honored to have that name!_ ” she turned to him to shout. “I would much prefer if you drop all this machismo and do your proper duties as the head of the clan!” 

Tuffet looked away, seeming to be pouting. Muffet sniffed and turned her nose up at him and returned to Papyrus. She opened her mouth to speak, but then something just beyond the skeleton caught her eye. 

“Oh, my, I, wait a moment, I remember you!” she pushed past Papyrus and moved over to Frisk. “You are that human that came through my lair! Oh that feels like ages ago! How are you my dear?” 

Frisk grinned up at her and tried to sign, forgetting the webbing for the moment. 

“Oh, huhuhu, so sorry, dearie, let’s get you out of there.” 

With a flick of her wrist, spiders came forth from the shadows to cut the necessary webs, and a few minutes later Frisk was set free. Papyrus quickly went over to hug Frisk tightly. 

“Are you all right?” Papyrus asked. He breathed a sigh of relief when he felt the nodding head against him. Tears started falling from Papyrus’ eyes and he pulled away to look into Frisk’s face. “I’m so sorry; I should have protected you better.” 

Frisk grinned. “Papyrus, I’m fine! It’s not the first time I’ve been stuck in a spider web.” 

“Still, if I am to be your big brother, I _must_ do better!” 

“Just don’t be so hard on yourself,” Frisk said with a smile before turning to Muffet. "How did you get here? I thought you said the cold in Snowdin was too much for spiders." 

Muffet blinked. "I do not understand, dearie." 

Papyrus translated. 

"Oh! Well you see, you humans on the surface have many ways to combat the cold. Ever since we were able to reach the surface, I've spent the past year developing these coats," she twirled for emphasis. "Not only do they look simply spiffy, but they have kept us nice and toasty. We brought enough for the Ruins clan so we could rejoin one another," she glared at Tuffet, "and I will give you the frilliest coat of them all! It was originally intended for your mother. What do you think so is going to say when she hears about what you are doing out here?" 

"I'm sorry," Tuffet mumbled. "I just wanted to be the protector they kept saying I was. I even found a neat sword, but it's too heavy." 

Muffet sighed and finally smiled at her pathetic-looking cousin. "I can't stay mad at a face like that. All right, Tuffet, all is forgiven for now, however you must understand that you cannot attack anyone on the surface." 

Tuffet crossed his many arms. "Who says we want to go to the surface?" 

Papyrus could see Muffet's face tinge with red before she took a deep breathe. 

"I understand. Now that the clans will be together again, that is a discussion we are going to have," she said gently. She turned back to Papyrus and Frisk. "Walk with me, dearies," Muffet said, hooking one arm around Papyrus' elbow and curling another arm around Frisk's shoulder and leading them past Tuffet and down the hall. 

Frisk noticed that there seemed to be other holes and tunnels that the smaller spiders used and there were cobwebs everywhere. 

"I thought you both went to the surface, whatever brought you back?" Muffet asked. 

"I need to go back to Sans and my house," Papyrus explained. "It's in Snowdin, so we found the entrance Frisk used to get here in the first place. How did you get back here?" 

"Where the barrier used to be, of course." 

"What?! We couldn't find it!" 

Muffet giggled, covering her mouth with one hand. "We spiders always leave a trail, just in case." 

"Clever," Papyrus said with admiration. 

As they continued to chat, Frisk noticed the spiders were carrying boxes into the ruins; they must be the coats Muffet bought everyone. Frisk wondered how many other spider monsters were as large as Muffet and Tuffet. Soon, they were aware of a cool breeze blowing in the tunnel and Frisk was filled with memories of standing before Toriel, insisting on finding a way home. 

“You be careful now, dearies,” Muffet said, waving them off. 

“You too! Stay warm!” Papyrus grinned and waved. 

Frisk waved as well, Muffet waved back and disappeared back into the tunnel. 

“She’s very nice,” Papyrus said with a nod. “Now, this is where you had arrived, yes? Which way did you go?” 

Frisk pointed straight ahead and Papyrus noticed that there was a fairly clear path. There were some footprints, likely left by Muffet’s spider clan. He scooped Frisk up and placed the child on his shoulders and they went off towards Snowdin. 

_“Why are you carrying me, Sans?”_

_“The snow is really deep over here, bro, can’t have you getting lost, now.”_

_“Hee hee, now I’m taller than you!”_

_“Huh, yeah, I guess you are,” Sans pretended to lose his balance. “But you know what they say; the bigger they are, the harder they fall!”_

_Papyrus gripped Sans tight around the head. “Sans, stop!” he shrieked._

_“Stop what?”_

_“Pretending to fall!” Papyrus giggled with another shriek._

_“I’m not pulling your leg!” Sans gave a tug on Papyrus’ ankle._

_“Yes, you are!”_

_Sans laughed and walked straight again. Papyrus’ giggling died down and he leaned his head against the back of Sans’ head._

_“I love you, Sans.”_

_“Love you too, bro.”_

“Hey, Frisk? You know the phrase, ‘the bigger they are, the harder they fall?’” 

Papyrus then pretended to lose his balance and Frisk gripped onto his head as they giggled.


	6. Home Sweet Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus returns to his and Sans' former house. Not much has changed, but there seems to be something very odd going on...

It was a long walk to Snowdin, and Papyrus was thankful for the lack of distractions on the way. He smiled a little wistfully at the sentry stations as they passed them. 

_"SANS! GET UP YOU LAZYBONES! UNDYNE EXPECTS US TO CLEAR ALL OF THE SNOW POFFS!"_

_Sans yawned and grinned at Papyrus. "Ice of you to drop by and ask me for help."_

_"NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR YOUR JOKES, SANS!"_

_"Chill out, bro."_

_"SANS!"_

_"Look, Papyrus, it's snow problem, I bet you could plow through with your eyes shut," Sans gave his taller brother a wink._

_"UGH! YOUR JOKES ARE TERRIBLE!"_

_"Everyone at Grillby's finds then quite punderful, I'll have you know."_

_Papyrus growled in frustration, but then straightened up. "Humph. I guess I'll have to do it with updog myself."_

_"Huh? Is that a new guard?" Sans tilted his head in confusion._

_"No."_

_"Then, what's updog?"_

_"NOTHING, WHAT'S UP WITH YOU?"_

_Sans stared at Papyrus with wide eyes, before he slipped and the chair he was sitting on fell backwards and he landed in the snow._

_"NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!!!"_

"Nyeh heh heh," Papyrus chuckled to himself at the memory; one of the insanely few times he got one over on Sans. 

Papyrus was barely paying any attention to where he was going and what he was doing when he found himself standing on a very well known stoop. He glanced up at the structure that he knew like the back of his hand. He let Frisk slip from his back. 

"Are you going to knock?" Frisk asked. 

Papyrus smiled weakly. "No. Mostly because I know Sans isn't on the other side to say 'who's there?' Nyeh, heh," he wiped a tear as it threatened to fall. "Maybe I should be thankful for that. Come along, Frisk." 

Papyrus’ hand shook a little as he lifted it to open the door. He wasn’t sure what he expected, but it wasn’t necessarily the slightly dark and very cold house. He walked in slowly, turning on the lights, and being surprised when they still worked. Papyrus couldn’t help taking a few moments to wander in his former home, flashes of memory passing his eyes – cooking his first pot of spaghetti without Undyne’s help, yelling at Sans as he dozed on the couch, nervously trying to keep up with Frisk when they first arrived for their date… 

Frisk smiled, watching Papyrus as they moved over to the couch and made themselves comfortable. While Frisk had slept as Papyrus carried them, it wasn’t good sleep and they were still sleepy. Who knew what time it was? 

With a gasp, Frisk realized that they completely forgot about calling Toriel! They pulled their cell phone out, but not only was there no signal, but the clock kept changing. Frisk frowned, then decided that maybe it would be best to turn off the phone for now. Frisk then snuggled into the corner of the couch and began to doze. 

By the time Papyrus was done walking around on the first floor, Frisk had fallen asleep. He smiled and carefully picked Frisk up and went upstairs to his bedroom. Papyrus nudged he door open with his foot, not surprised that the door hadn’t been shut all of the way. 

The racecar-shaped bed was still there; it was too much to try to bring it to the surface, and Sans and he found a new one. There was no sheet on the mattress, but it was better than sleeping on the couch. Papyrus wasn’t sure if there were any blankets or sheets left, so he unwound his scarf and covered Frisk up with it as best he could. 

_“I know we don’t have much for now,” Sans murmured sleepily. He and Papyrus lay in the race car bed together; it was the only piece of furniture they had._

_“Thank you for getting me the bed, it’s really neat,” Papyrus said._

_“Anything for you, bro.”_

_Papyrus wiggled a little, happy with his new bed, and moved a little closer to Sans for warmth; granted they didn’t need too much warmth but it seemed to be colder that evening than usual._

_There was an odd noise._

_“You shouldn’t get too attached.”_

Papyrus gasped and looked around. He put a shaking hand to his head. 

“Maybe I should sleep, too,” he murmured. But for a moment when he glanced at Frisk on the bed, he saw Sans. “No, no time for that. I don’t need to sleep.” 

Papyrus knew where the door was to the room Sans kept him away from. He somehow knew that the key to saving Sans was in there, but the door was locked and heavy; during the brief time Undyne stayed with them after she and Frisk burned her house down, even she couldn’t break down the door with all of her strength. 

He left his bedroom and shut the door to let Frisk sleep. Papyrus wasn’t going to find the answer he needed in his room anyway. Sans’ room was the place to start. 

To Papyrus’ surprise, the door to Sans’ former bedroom was unlocked. He carefully opened the door, partially expecting that there would be some sort of booby trap Sans would have set up before they left. He peeked in slowly and was relieved to find pretty much everything was the same; the trash tornado was still going in one corner, a ball of sheets and who knew what else was on one corner of the bed, the treadmill was still in the center of the room… Sans had left pretty much everything behind. 

Papyrus slowly walked the perimeter of the room, stepping over dirty clothes and other trash, sighing and frustrated at his brother’s inability to keep his own personal space clean. Damn, but he did miss him. Papyrus realized that he really had never been apart from Sans like this before. Sure, there were days where they didn’t see much of each other, however they still had breakfast together, Sans usually texted him a pun or two during the day, and they saw each other in the evening. 

“Enough,” Papyrus chastised himself. 

He went to the dresser and sighed again at the disorganization, but he quickly shook himself from it and started pulling out everything. Shirts were stuck on trombone pieces and Papyrus began to wonder when Sans had even learned how to play the stupid thing. He tossed aside curved bits of brass, and soon enough the drawer was empty. 

Empty, except for an old-looking key on the bottom. Papyrus lifted it small object slowly, as if it would disappear if he breathed so hard. He wrapped his fingers around it and bolted from the room. He nearly jumped down the entire flight of stairs and burst out the door. He stumbled a little in the snow as he went to the back of the house and stared at the door. At one point, Sans seemed to have the idea of trying to hide the door by painting it the same color as the rest of the house. Granted, the paint job was sloppy and half done. 

Papyrus put the key in the lock with shaking hands. There was a possibility that this key didn’t go to this lock and his mind had already jumped ahead as to what he was going to do. 

Thankfully, the lock clicked, the knob turned, and Papyrus entered a room he had only briefly seen once years ago. The bright lights flickered for a moment before steadying, flipped on by motion sensors. The room looked a lot… cleaner? Papyrus’ memory of this room included more cloth-covered objects, tools on the floor, and a Sans he has never seen before or since; one that had dark lines under his eye sockets, one who looked desperate and defeated, and the one who looked up at Papyrus with fearful, blazing blue eyes and ordered him to leave. 

It was the only time Papyrus legitimately feared his older brother. 

But now, the floor was all cleared, one large object was covered by a cloth in the back corner, and a single blueprint lay on the counter. Papyrus wondered if Sans had cleared out this rom when they left or just left it up to faith that the key to the locked door would never be found. 

Papyrus checked the drawers. He didn’t find much in there; a few pens and pencils, and some papers. The blueprint definitely caught his eye and he pulled it closer. The machine that was drawn there seemed to match the size and shape of whatever was covered by the cloth in the corner, but what really drew him in were the symbols. He wasn’t sure how to describe them, an odd mixture of shapes and symbols, and they felt just as familiar as they were alien to him. 

An odd noise sounded just over his shoulder, but when he looked, nothing was there. 

“Nyeh, heh,” he chuckled nervously. He cleared his throat and looked back at the blueprint, turning it from side to side to try to make some sense of it all. “Maybe if I…” 

Papyrus took a deep breath, relaxed, and closed his eyes for a moment. Reading had never been his strong suit to begin with, but he knew it worked for him better if he stayed as calm as possible. He opened his eyes slowly, trying to keep them relaxed as Sans had once instructed him, and attempted to read. 

_“Hey, you nearly had it that time, Papyrus!” Sans said, his grin widening._

_“I’m never going to understand this stuff, it’s too weird!” a pre-teen Papyrus muttered._

_Sans reached over and rubbed Papyrus’ head, speaking in the strange language he was trying to teach him to read. Papyrus sighed, responding in kind, speaking the language had come to him much easier than reading._

_Then there was someone else who could also speak their language._

_“You shouldn’t get too attached. It could be dangerous for the both of you.”_

Papyrus whipped his head around to find the voice, but of course it was silly; he was the only one there. It didn’t stop the feeling of panic that washed heat over his bones and made him shake at the same time. It didn’t stop him from feeling that he was unsafe there by himself. It didn’t stop him from rolling up the blueprint and running out of the room and back into the house.


	7. A Little Bit of Everything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Great Papyrus doesn't need sleep!  
> ... yeah, actually you do, dude.  
> A quick peek back on the Surface before delving deeper into the Underground.

Frisk was only mildly surprised to find themselves waking up in the racecar bed. Grabbing the scarf, they went downstairs and were surprised to find Papyrus pacing in the living room, holding a blue print and muttering to himself. The skeleton didn’t notice Frisk coming downstairs, was oblivious to them sitting on the couch, and the only way Frisk caught his attention was by throwing his scarf in his face. 

“Nyeh!” Papyrus jumped, dropping the blueprint and tearing the scarf away. “Oh, heh, heh, hello, Frisk.” 

“What’s that?” Frisk asked, pointing to the blueprint. 

“I found the key that goes to the secret room and this was inside of it,” Papyrus explained as he wrapped his scarf into its proper place then bending to pick up the blueprint. “It has some writing on it that I do not fully understand, though, so I have been trying my best to figure it out.” 

Frisk stood on their toes to see the paper and Papyrus tilted it down. 

“I have never seen writing like that,” Frisk said. 

Papyrus shrugged and sighed before resuming his pacing. “I cannot say much about it. Sans tried to teach it to me when we were very young, I was better at understanding what was spoken and wasn’t great at reading it.” 

Frisk frowned; every time Papyrus spoke Sans’ name, the light in his eyes dimmed a little further. Frisk gripped onto Papyrus’ elbow, stopping his pacing, and lead him to the couch to sit. Frisk also took the blueprint away from him. 

“What’s your game plan?” Frisk asked him. “What is this blueprint going to accomplish?” 

“I’m not sure, that it why I am still trying to read it,” Papyrus said with a sigh. 

“What about the machine on it?” 

“That’s why I’m trying to read the writing.” 

“Would anyone else know how to read it?” 

“… no one that could help us now.” 

_“How did you learn this, brother?” Papyrus asked, squinting at the book in his lap that was full of odd symbols._

_The two brothers sat against a fence. Papyrus sat between his brother’s legs, Sans’ jacket just barely wrapping around both of them._

_“Does it really matter?” Sans replied with a shrug._

_“I’m curious!”_

_“Heh, good thing you’re not of the feline purr-suasion, you know what they say about curiosity; that would be a cat-tastrophe!”_

_Papyrus groaned. “You shouldn’t talk about your jokes like that, Sans.”_

_“I’m just kitten you!”_

_“OH MY STARS SANS!”_

_Sans chuckled, wrapping his arms a little tighter around his little brother and leaning his head against his._

_There was a whisper from a familiar language…_

Papyrus’ head perked up. “Did you hear that?” 

Frisk looked around. “Hear what?” 

“Someone was speaking.” 

“I didn’t hear anything.” 

“That’s not the first time I’ve heard it since we arrived,” Papyrus murmured, slowly getting to his feet. 

“Papyrus, when did you last sleep?” Frisk asked, looking at the tall skeleton with serious concern. 

“I don’t need to sleep,” Papyrus said, looking around. 

Frisk made an annoyed sound. They stood on the couch and grabbed Papyrus’ hand and forced him to meet their eyes. 

“You need to sleep. You’re losing your mind.” 

“I’m fine. I don’t need to sleep, and besides, we cannot waste the time.” 

Frisk dropped onto the couch with an annoyed huff. “What can I do, then?” 

Papyrus sighed. “I do not know. Just keep me company and listen for anything strange.” 

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

“And we do not know what is wrong?” Asgore asked. 

“Not really, no,” Toriel said with a sigh. “Alphys had mentioned something about soul experiments and that he was without a whole soul.” 

Toriel had insisted on sending Undyne and Alphys both home to sleep after she and Asgore had their own discussion. Both had felt better afterwards and they figured that they could at least attempt repairing up to a friendship. With that in mind, Asgore shifted his weight uneasily. 

Toriel noticed and sighed. “Please tell me you know something of this?” she murmured. 

“I do not know any specifics. I just know that I had asked the science team for answers on how to break the barrier. It may have been a mistake to allow them pretty much the freedom to do what they wished,” Asgore admitted. “Yet something else on the list of decisions I wasn’t proud of making.” 

Toriel nodded mutely. “I no longer have the energy to be angry with you, Asgore. What’s done is done and in the past. We agreed we were going to try to be friends and I intend to do my best to meet that ideal. So if you are holding any other information back for the sake of that, please do not.” 

Asore looked down and could see Toriel’s shaking hands on her thighs, gripping her dress in an attempt to still them. A tear fell down, temporarily darkening the purple fabric. 

“I understand how much Sans means to you,” Asgore said. “I cannot think of anything that would help him, honestly, I don’t really remember him. I believe he was the assistant of the lead scientist at the time, but I do not think that would help.” 

“Who was the lead scientist?” 

“It doesn’t matter; he had fallen into one of his own creations and was lost. Gaster, I believe his name was, and really the only thing I can remember about him was that he spoke in a very odd language.” 

Suddenly, a sound filled the room. It was an odd sound, not quite like music, almost like something a computer had created, and while the exact sound couldn’t be deciphered, Toriel and Asgore felt they could somewhat understand it. Though, it didn’t seem to say much. 

“…p…pa….p…pap…” 

With a gasp, Toriel realized the noise was coming from Sans. 

“Sans? Sans! Can you hear me?!” Toriel said, fighting the urge to shake the skeleton. 

Sans took a deeper breath than he had since he had fallen asleep, but it was accompanied by a rattling sound that sent a chill through the other monsters. 

“Pap… Papyr….” he murmured in his normal voice, though it was extremely weak. 

“Papyrus? He went to go look for something that will cure you. Can you tell us what’s wrong?” Toriel pressed. 

The sound faded, Sans’ breathing went back to nearly non-existent. Toriel and Asgore exchanged a concerned look and Toriel buried her face in her hands. 

“Oh, Papyrus, Frisk, come back soon,” she murmured. 

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

It had been hours, but Papyrus studied the symbols as thoroughly as he studied his puzzles; which meant thoroughly but not getting too far. 

He did, however, figure he had some of the symbols translated, as it only made sense that some of the words were directions; up, down, left, and right. Some of the other words he had guesses for, but none of them were giving him much hope or comfort. 

“So, you think, you’re not even certain, that some of the words are time machine, dangerous, void, and soul? On top of directionals?” Frisk asked. 

Papyrus rubbed his eyes. “Yes. I don’t believe I’m going to get anywhere else with these blueprints; I may have to go look at whatever is underneath the cloth and compare it with this.” 

Frisk tilted their head at Papyrus. “You look exhausted.” 

“I am not,” Papyrus grumbled. “I do not need to sleep! I do not have time!” 

Frisk gave them a look that said that they weren’t convinced. Papyrus sighed. 

“I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I could,” Papyrus murmured. “I’m too worried.” 

“I don’t think being exhausted will help matters.” 

_“Come on, Papyrus, you’ve been working on that puzzle for three days straight,” Sans said, his hands stuffed in his pockets._

_“THIS WILL BE MY ULTIMATE PUZZLE MASTERPIECE AND I WILL NOT HAVE YOU STOPPING ME FROM COMPLETING IT!”_

_Sans looked amused at the supposed puzzle; so far, Papyrus had set up a large, sharp object to swing over the bridge (oh, Undyne was going to love it if it fell on the bridge), something that was on fire, and a cloth with the words “meddling dog goes here” written on it. He looked back over to Papyrus, who had sat in the snow and was hammering something. Sans stepped closer to peer over his shoulder; Papyrus just had a piece of wood in his lap and the hammer constantly missed._

_Sans chuckled. “Hey, come on, Pap, a few hours of sleep will do you some good.”_

_“NO!”_

_The hammer landed on the hand that held the wood. Papyrus yelped out in pain and Sans shook his head, gently putting his arms around his brother to help him up._

_“Come on, you’re obviously not getting any work done while exhausted, and you at least need to be able to walk home. You’re too big for me to carry, you know.”_

_With a whimper of pain and a sigh, Papyrus gave in and walked with him home._

Papyrus shook his head, trying to clear the fog that was threatening to cloud it with memories and a slowly growing need for sleep. 

“Just a little longer, Frisk, I promise,” Papyrus murmured. He looked up with a smile. “I hear Grillby’s niece is still running his restaurant down here, maybe you could go get us something to eat?” 

“Did we even bring any Underground money with us?” 

“Nyeh, no, I don’t think so. Ask if, uhm, Sans still has a tab and we could use it. I can see about sending her money when we go home.” 

Frisk nodded, noting that Papyrus’ voice changed when he spoke Sans’ name. 

“What should I get you?” 

“Anything not saturated in grease,” Papyrus shuddered. 

Frisk smiled. “Okay, I’ll be quick. Try not to do anything silly.” 

Papyrus smiled and Frisk skipped out the door. As soon as Frisk was away, Papyrus’ smile dropped and he pulled the key from his waistband. He gripped it tight, and making sure he had the blueprints in hand, he went back to the secret room. 

The tall skeleton shuddered as the lights flickered on. Somehow this was the coldest room he has ever been in, and after living for years in Snowdin that was saying something. He remembered quickly why he was there and moved decisively to the strange object in the corner. Papyrus lifted a shaking hand and yanked the sheet off with his eyes shut tight. He slowly opened them after a moment and his jaw dropped. 

The machine was unlike what was in the blueprint and was the most odd thing he had seen in his life. It was taller than the blueprint made him believe, it was very angular instead of cylindrical, there were buttons and wires all over it, looking like something a child put together. He noticed it was quite hollow in the middle for someone to stand inside the structure and that there was a piece of paper taped to the back of it. 

Papyrus reached into the machine, only standing about halfway inside of it, and pulled the note off of the back. His eyes widened as he read the note written in the odd symbols with real letter underneath it. Not only was it a translation, it was clearly Sans’ handwriting. 

**if you touch this machine, you’re going to have a bad time.**

“What does he mean?” Papyrus murmured, leaning against the machine. 

That was a mistake. Suddenly the machine hummed to life. Papyrus backed away from it and hoped that it wasn’t going to do anything. 

_“I’m always telling you; don’t touch things you don’t understand!”_

Sans rarely lost his patience with Papyrus. 

_“Don’t scare me like that!”_

Papyrus, as a little skeleton, usually found himself in situations where he needed help and frightened the daylights out of his big brother. 

_“Sometimes I wish I could just leave you somewhere.”_

No. That memory was a lie. 

_“Was it a lie, Papyrus?”_

The odd sound that had been plaguing Papyrus’ memories all day blasted in his head all of a sudden; familiar and alien, a language he didn’t know but could understand. 

“WHAT’S GOING ON?!?” 

_Sans stood over him, not speaking; words weren’t necessary as his face and eyes said it all – disappointment, sadness, regret, and it all faded into a loss of will. Sans then turned and walked away._

“WAIT! SANS, DON’T GO!” 

_“Sans?”_

Papyrus held his head as the room began to spin. What was going on? Was this real? What was memory and what was reality? Was this just a result of all of his exhaustion and stress? 

_“You’re going to have a bad time if you don’t relax.”_

Papyrus suddenly felt a presence behind him. Before he could turn to face it, it felt like a cloth was being pressed to his face. He tried to lift his hands to pull it away, but something kept his arms pinned to his sides. He tried to cry out but the sound died just after forming. There was an odd and frightening sensation as his feet seemed to leave the ground and he fell back, but he couldn’t feel himself hitting the ground – did he hit the ground? 

Everything went dark for Papyrus, and he disappeared from the plane of reality. 

The note fell to the ground where Papyrus used to stand. 

**_told you so._ **


	8. Ember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk goes to get some food and finds out who is now running Grillby's in Snowdin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick thank you to everyone who's been reading, following, and commenting, and kudos-ing! I love you all so much and I really appreciate it!

****

Frisk sighed in satisfaction as the warmth of Grillby's thawed their chilled skin; Frisk had forgotten how cold Snowdin was and wasn't exactly dressed for it.

The place didn't seem to have changed too much; even though Frisk didn't recognize the few monsters that were there, they seemed to be mostly of the same caliber of clientele that frequented the bar/restaurant.

"What's a human like you doing in a place like this?" the bartender asked as Frisk approached.

This definitely had to be Grillby's niece; she was just as tall, another living flame, though she glowed more yellow than orange. Her name turned out to be Ember. Also, Frisk could understand her just fine and even questioned her about this.

"Uncle is just the strong and silent type, most of the customers have learned what his gestures mean," she explained.

"And how do you understand me?"

She chuckled, wiping a small plate dry. "I spent some time on the surface before deciding to help out Uncle. I thought all humans talked like you, so I learned ASL."

"Ah. Useful skill to have though, true?"

"I get to talk to you properly, don’t I?" She ducked to put the plate away. "What can I get for you?"

Frisk took a look at the menu; there seemed to be more baked goods available than when it was just Grillby.

"Ah, yes, Ms. Muffet and I struck up a deal and so now I offer her baked goods along with some different monster fare. I think I’d prefer to run a bakery than a bar. Uncle doesn't seem to mind; I think he's happy I'm inclined to work in the family field. He doesn't have kids of his own, so no one to pass to restaurant to."

Frisk nodded, deciding on pastries for Papyrus and a club sandwich with fries; perhaps Frisk could try to convince Papyrus to try them this time.

As Ember went to cook the food, Frisk eyed a bottle of ketchup and sighed. Memories of sitting at the bar with Sans, the top of the ketchup covering the burger, Sans chuckling and shoving his own food in front of Frisk.

Honestly, Sans had scared Frisk a bit when they first met; chalk it up to Halloween and the unease of being in a strange world devoid of humans, and you know, monsters that you were told would be out to destroy you.

Frisk let out a sad sigh at the memories; they missed Sans terribly and no one could deny that things felt so different and incomplete without him. Papyrus was doing well in trying to be good to Frisk, but they could tell he was hurting very badly.

Thankfully, Ember returned with the food, packed it away in bags for Frisk and refused to take payment.

"In exchange for the food, why don’t you tell me this; what brings you back here, by the way? I figure you would have been done with the Underground," Ember said.

"My friend Papyrus needed to come back to find something," Frisk explained, hoping they didn't have to go into too much detail.

"Papyrus? Isn't that the younger of the skeleton brothers that used to live here? Uncle Grillby mentioned a skeleton who used to drink all the ketchup and tell horrible jokes."

Frisk let out a small huff of laughter. "That's Sans, and yeah, Papyrus is his younger brother."

Ember looked concerned. "You okay, honey bunch? You look like you got something on your mind."

"I'm all right, it's just been a long day."

Ember nodded. "You two come on over anytime you're hungry. I'll take good care of you two."

"Thank you, Ember, that's really kind of you."

"It's all good," she smiled at Frisk for a moment. "Oh, I feel I should tell you this since a few things have changed around here."

Frisk had slid off the stool and made to leave, but now turned back to Ember, looking at her with interest.

"Since a lot of the residents have gone to the surface, most of the homes had been abandoned. Later they were occupied by others, except for one. It had a black flag with what I think is a skull."

Frisk's blood ran cold. "What about it?"

Ember picked up a glass and started wiping it. "Others have been talking about a lot of weird things going on in that house. Strange noises, possibly voices, there's a rumor going around that it's haunted."

"I was under the impression ghosts were regular beings down here?"

"Not like this," Ember murmured. She set the glass on the bar and leaned forward a little, her voice turning serious. "I'm not one for superstitions, human. I feel I live in the real world. However, I walk by that house every day, and I won't deny that I get a weird feeling from it. Listen, just be careful and take care of yourself and your friend."

Frisk nodded, smiled again, thanked Ember, and walked out of the bar a little quicker than they intended.

Once outside, Frisk ran for their lives.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Frisk fumbled with the front door, their fingers were cold and it made gripping the doorknob a challenge. Once Frisk succeeded, they burst into the house and prayed that Papyrus would still be sitting on the couch and looking at the blueprint, or better yet, asleep.

But he wasn't.

Frisk put the bag of food on the couch and ventured into the kitchen, but there was no sign of Papyrus there. Frisk's heart began to pound as they ran up the stairs to the bedrooms. 

Papyrus was in neither. 

Frisk ran back down the stairs, outside, and back into the snow, following the long striding footsteps of Papyrus to the back of the house to a door that Frisk had never unlocked. Frisk breathed a very small sigh of thanks when the knob turned in their hand easily and they went inside, expecting Papyrus to be there.

The only thing Frisk found was a tall, odd-looking machine, an odd smell of smoke, and a piece of paper on the floor with strange writing on it.


	9. You Got Some 'Splaining To Do...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SoloShikigami continues to suck at Chapter titles.  
> Papyrus finds himself in a new zone with a new creature. This doesn't necessarily fill him with determination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Again, thank you so much for reading my fic, taking the time to leave comments and kudos, I love you all!
> 
> Just as a small warning, I may be a little slower in posting over this week. I've been feeling a little down and out and just getting things done at a slower rate. Just hitting a cycle where taking care of myself is a little harder than usual... I'm sure there are some of you out there that can relate ^_^
> 
> Again, please know I love and appreciate every single one of you, I promise you I'm not abandoning the fic if I take a few days to post, and here's hoping things go back to normal soon!  
> ... I mean for Papyrus, not me. My life is never normal ^_^

"Nyeeeh," Papyrus groaned, his eyes slowly opening to darkness. His head hurt, his chest felt heavy, as did pretty much every other part of his body.

Some of his energy flowed back into his bones when the panic of him not recognizing his surroundings started to settle in. He sat up slowly, trying to ignore the pounding in his head and the sick feeling he felt in his middle.

"Where am I?" he murmured, putting one hand on his head as if it would stop it from spinning.

Papyrus rolled over so he was on his knees and tried to push himself up, but a wave of nausea kept him down and nearly floored him again.

_"Hey Papyrus, come here, buddy."_

_"Yeah, Sans?"_

_His vision was covered by red for a moment, and a light and comfortable weight was wrapped around his neck._

_"Made this for you. What do you think?"_

Papyrus saw a reflection of himself as a child staring up at him, fingering the red scarf, grinning in happiness.

_"NYEH heh heh heh heh! It's perfect!" Papyrus ran and nearly knocked Sans over with the force of his hug. "Thank you, Sans! You're the best brother ever!"_

Papyrus squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head, gripping it with both hands now.

"Why does this keep happening?!" Papyrus shouted. "What am I supposed to do?"

Papyrus wanted to cry, he wanted to scream in all of the pain and frustration and sorrow he had been holding in for, well, however long it had been since Alphys told him that Sans was dying. How long had it been?

"No," Papyrus shook his head and started to get to his feet. "No! I am the best brother in all of the Underground! The Great Papyrus will not be defeated!"

He rose shakily, raising a fist in the air, but he was still not ready and he began to fall. But instead of hitting the ground, something familiar seemed to wrap around him and helped him to stay standing.

Panic rising again, Papyrus fought the dark tendrils he felt wrapping around him.

"No! Stay away! You brought me here!" Papyrus screamed, recognizing it as whatever it was that held him just before he passed out.

"Do not struggle, child."

Papyrus stilled; the voice was odd, it was the same he heard, had been hearing, with a strange noise sounding underneath the words. It was also coming from just over his shoulder and he got the impression that the black tendrils were cradling him like a child, and he wasn't sure how to feel about that.

"That is better."

"Wh-who are you? What do you want from me? Where am I?" Papyrus stammered.

"I am a friend."

 "Why can't I see you?"

 Hesitation. "Are you feeling better?"

 Papyrus blinked, concentrating a moment on himself. "I, I think so."

 The dark tendrils relaxed around him slowly, as if waiting for him to regain his balance before withdrawing completely. He turned to see who the voice belonged to and had to choke back a gasp.

 The figure was only a little taller than him, completely cloaked in black and it seemed to be more magic than clothing. The white face was marred with lines, large cracks above one eye and below another.  Papyrus tilted his head as he took in every detail; an odd feeling started in his lower spine and began to slowly creep up his vertebrae.

 "Who are you?" Papyrus asked slowly, as if he didn't really want to know the answer.

The figure tilted their head, as if considering giving Papyrus an answer. "The more important question is, who are you?" The figure lifted a hand towards Papyrus' scarf, making him flinch away, and then the hand lowered again. "Why were you in that room?"

"Have you been speaking to me?" Papyrus asked.

"How do you mean?"

Papyrus shifted nervously on his feet. "I heard your voice before, in my living room, in my memories..."

"Oh," the figure waved a hand that came from the darkness surrounding him and what looked like a large television screen appeared in the air just above them. "Like this?"

Papyrus’ jaw dropped as he watched Frisk and himself in the living room arguing over his need for rest.

“Your friend was right, you know, you did need rest,” the figure said.

“Is that why you attacked me?” Papyrus asked hotly.

The figure sighed. “No, though perhaps it was a fortunate side effect, or at least, it made your transportation here easier. Travelling to the void can be hell on your senses.”

“Really, who _are_ you?”

“My name is Gaster,” the figure said, voice riddled with sadness upon the utterance of his name. “I-“ he started, then sighed and stopped.

Papyrus looked at Gaster curiously; it was apparent he wanted to say something, but he was holding back. For a moment, Papyrus wondered if he should press or ask one of the hundreds of questions that were forming in his mind. He then realized Gaster stepped forward and reached out to touch Papyrus’ scarf again. Papyrus wanted to pull away, but as the dark tendrils brushed the fabric he felt he could let him. Then Gaster turned over the fabric near his neck and chuckled. Papyrus looked down to see the name “W.D. Gaster” was embroidered in black thread. He never noticed it before and his eyes immediately darted back up.

“You really are Papyrus,” Gaster murmured, voice wavering. He looked up into Papyrus’ eyes. “Papyrus, I, I am your father.”

“Wh-what?”

“It’s true, I am your father,” Gaster beamed at him. “I never thought I would ever see you again, I didn’t know it was you…”

Papyrus took a slow and rather large step away from the other monster, shaking his head is disbelief.

“No, you can’t,” he stammered. “Sans said-” he huffed in frustration, feeling himself weaken again and putting a hand to his head. “I’m still terribly confused. Where am I? Why do I feel so strange?”

“That may be partially my fault, and I really am sorry,” Gaster said, moving closer to Papyrus.

Papyrus flinched away, but nearly lost his balance again.

“I won’t hurt you, I promise.”

_“I’ll never hurt you, Papyrus, I promise.”_

Papyrus shook his head, definitely losing his balance, but Gaster was there to catch him and lowered him gently to the ground.

“Why does this keep happening?!” Papyrus cried out, giving in to his weaknesses and letting Gaster guide him into a resting position, lying on his side with his head on Gaster’s lap. “Why do all of these memories keep coming? The more it happens the more it hurts!”

Gaster shushed him gently, petting the top of his skull with a hand that had a hole punched in the palm.

“I know all of this is confusing, I will try to make it as clear as I can,” Gaster said. “I brought you here because I know you are seeking answers. I apologize for the way I had to ease your transition into this realm; I had to basically knock you out with a type of chloroform because I could not communicate fully with you and I knew you would fight me. The machine helped a little, though I find it amusing that while Sans had left a note warning you about that thing,” he chuckled a little. “I suppose it worked out in the end. He must have known someone would come looking for it to write such a smart-ass remark on the back of the note…”

Papyrus blinked, not sure what Gaster meant, but he was slowly regaining all of his facilities again and he tried to sit up.

“What do you know about my brother?” he all but demanded.

“Stay calm, Papyrus, please rest,” Gaster said, easing Papyrus back down again. “What do I know about your brother? Well, nearly everything, since I am his father as well, of course.”

Papyrus shook his head. “We don’t have parents, Sans said so.”

_“Sans? Where did we come from?”_

_“Huh,” Sans scratched his head. “Well, we’re heading towards Hotland, so we must have come from Waterfall.”_

_“No! I mean how did we get here?”_

_“We walked of course!”_

_“No, Sans! I mean,” Papyrus grew quieter and even slowed to a stop. “I mean, why don’t we have a mommy and daddy?”_

_Sans stopped short, his eyes blanking at the question and turning to look at his little brother, who was still quite young, but apparently old enough to start questioning. Sans sighed and kneeled in front of him, putting his hands on his shoulders._

_“I hate to tell you, kid, but mom’s the word on that,” Sans said._

_Papyrus blinked at him. “Well, yes, I want to know about our mother.”_

_Obviously he didn’t get the joke._

_“Hey, when you got a mom-ster like me,” he grinned._

_“Sans,” Papyrus deadpanned. “Are you trying to tell me you stupid jokes?”_

_“Nothing could be father from the truth!”_

_“SANS!”_

_The older skeleton chuckled before his amusement dissolved into seriousness. He moved his hands to gently cup Papyrus’ thin face._

_“I can’t say where we came from, kid, all I can say is that we have each other, and I can be whatever and whoever you need me to be.”_

The memory had played up on the screen. Papyrus frowned at it the whole time while Gaster chuckled.

“So that was what he told you,” Gaster murmured. “He told you what he felt you needed to hear at the time. He was so young himself, after all.”

“Why does that keep happening?” Papyrus asked, pointing up at the screen just as his memory faded from it.

“Forgive me, I’m looking into your memories to gain clarification in order to help you, Papyrus,” Gaster’s breath hitched as Papyrus sat up to face him and their eyes met. Gaster seemed to waver. “Oh, Papyrus; my baby boy!”

He leaned forward and enveloped Papyrus into a tight hug. Papyrus could feel him shaking as he started to cry. Papyrus felt awkward and strange. None of this felt real; maybe he was dreaming? He was torn between disbelief and excitement that this creature was his father.

However, despite it all, Papyrus slowly raised shaking arms to return the embrace.

“Father.”


	10. Battle in the Void

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus and Gaster wander the void. However, they aren't the only ones there.

"So, erm, Father," the word still felt so alien coming from Papyrus' mouth. "What is this place? Have I, uhm, fallen?"

The two had been walking for a little bit; Papyrus finally felt well enough to stand, though Gaster insisted on keeping a hold of his upper arm in case he felt ill again.

"No, no, my son," Gaster said. "This is merely a realm between worlds. In creating and building The Core, I had inadvertently opened up this separate realm. Magic flows freely here, though it tends to be unstable at times."

"I heard you in the house, especially in that secret room. Why?"

"I am unsure. What did you hear me say?”

“Nyeh, well, I’ve just heard your voice a few times while I was in the house. One of my memories, I think I heard you say something about not getting attached because it was dangerous, and before I came here I had a vision of Sans, he-”

Papyrus started to shake a little; Papyrus' greatest fear was Sans abandoning him. He knew damn good and well how intelligent Sans was (which was one reason why his laziness bothered Papyrus so much), and he also knew damn good and well that he just wasn't. That part was fine, they were two different skeletons after all, and Papyrus knew he had his own admirable qualities. However, he wondered and worried if he was worth his brother's time and energy and wondered when Sans would just leave to do what he wanted.

"My son, are you all right? Do you need to rest again?" Gaster asked, tightening his grip and slowing their pace.

Papyrus shook his head and took a deep breath. "I'm all right, I'm just..."

Gaster remained silent, patiently waiting for Papyrus to find the words he sought.

"Father, I am... I... I came back to Snowdin because Sans is in trouble. I, I believe he may be,” he swallowed, “dying."

Gaster nodded slowly, though Papyrus felt his grip tighten.

"My friend, Dr. Alphys, she said that he didn't have a whole soul. She couldn't give me any answers, and I know I'm not very smart, but I remembered Sans had his secret room, and... Oh, stars, I need help. I can't lose him, Father, I _cannot_ lose my brother. _I_ _cannot lose Sans_."

Gaster nodded and pat Papyrus on the back. "I understand, my child. I will do everything I can to help and I just may know someone who can. We are heading in the right direction, but we must keep moving."

They started walking again.

"How do you even tell where we are? All I see is, well, nothing," Papyrus said.

Gaster chuckled. "Ah, Papyrus, there really isn't much to see in the void, per se; magic and energy exist in waves and unstable spots. I can see where they are strong and where they are weak. They form barriers and roads, and where there is a particularly high magic content, one could create structures."

Papyrus nodded, still looking around and trying to see just something, anything. After some time, he wondered if in his desperation to see something, he was beginning to hallucinate, because he could swear he saw something out of the corner of his eye.

"Father, are we the only ones in the void?" Papyrus asked.

"I'm not sure. I haven't come across many others," Gaster started, but was interrupted when Papyrus stopped walking. "What is it, Papyrus?"

"I know something was there," Papyrus murmured, pulling his arm free from Gaster's grip.

They were silent for a moment.

"Son, I am sure it is nothing," Gaster said.

"No, something is there, following us," Papyrus murmured.

Gaster started to look around as well. Papyrus took a few steps around, his head whipping from side to side, trying to find what he saw. He put one hand out, ready to summon bones for an attack. The thought then occurred to him; was it possible for him to use his bone attacks?

“There is nothing out there, child,” Gaster said, reaching for Papyrus’ arm again. “We are in no danger here.”

Papyrus didn’t move for a few more minutes, he slowly began to relax, and then he finally decided that it was just his imagination. Gaster smiled reassuringly at him, Papyrus gave him a smile back and they continued on.

“Is it possible to live with only part of your soul?” Papyrus asked after a moment.

“I’ve seen it happen from time to time, though they never last long,” Gaster said. “However, I must say that souls are such a complicated thing; whether they are human or monster. There are so many factors to consider, like willpower, spirit, inner strength, love,” Gaster’s voice faltered slightly. “All of these can be seen as arbitrary things; qualities that can never be truly measured, an X factor that can either be the miracle you were looking for or ruin years upon years of research.”

Papyrus hid a wince as Gaster’s grip on his arm tightened as he spoke; he was a little taken aback by his strength, but thankfully Gaster relaxed before it became too much.

“How do you know these things?” Papyrus murmured.

“It will all be explained when we get there.”

“Where are you taking me?”

“To someone who will hopefully give us the answers we both need.”

Silence fell over them again, but their pace picked up a little and Gaster stopped holding on to his son. More questions ran through Papyrus’ head and he tried to organize them and focus on the important ones since he knew time was running out.

Papyrus was suddenly aware of a humming sound.

“What’s that?” he murmured.

Gaster stopped. The two of them listened as the humming sound came closer, it was still subtle but it was definitely getting louder.

Papyrus realized he knew exactly what it was and he knew what was coming next.

“Father!” Papyrus cried out, leaping and knocking Gaster down as a laser beam blasted over them.

Papyrus rolled with a growl as he sunk into a fighting stance. Sure enough, a familiar blaster was hovering nearby but it was retreating. Papyrus concentrated, trying to bring up his bone attacks and have them at the ready.

“No! Wait, please!” Gaster cried.

“Stay where you are, Father, I will handle this!” Papyrus stood taller. “OR I AM NOT THE GREAT PAPYRUS!”

“Papyrus, you don’t understand-!”

Gasters voice was lost to another hum to their left, Papyrus ducked and rolled as another laser blast just missed him. Two more came at the same time and he dodged those blasts as well.

“NYEH HEH HEH! YOU’LL HAVE TO DO BETTER THAN THAT!”

Papyrus held out a hand, preparing to gather the magic he needed for an attack, though he didn’t know what his target was.

There was a dark chuckle. “Amusing, young one, but you are in my realm now.”

Papyrus frowned and looked over at Gaster. He was still on the ground and he felt that something was just _off_ , but before Papyrus could give him another passing thought, he realized the ground beneath him was lighting up and he leaped forward before sharpened bones thrust from the floor with the intent to pierce him.

This became Papyrus’ world for a while; dodging attacks from bones and blasters, unable to gain a moment to really think or strategize, simply working off instinct and reflexes. Finally as the patterns began to sink in, he could afford some capacity to conjure a staff made of bone as he made his way to where, logically, his opponent was controlling the battlefield from.

“Heh, I underestimated you a bit,” the dark voice chuckled again. “But it’s not enough, child.”

The staff was suddenly yanked from Papyrus’ grip, which distracted him from his footing and a sharp bone stabbed him in the foot. Of course, this meant that he didn’t see the black, smoky tendrils that wrapped around his own staff and hurled it towards him.

“Papyrus, look out!” Gaster cried.

A bright, white light filled Papyrus’ vision at the same time a horrible pain blossomed in his head.

“Nyeehh, nyooo, I can’t give up,” Papyrus’ speech slurred a little.

“What makes you think you have a choice?”

Papyrus felt himself being lifted, and then slammed viciously to the ground.

At least he couldn’t feel any pain anymore.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"What the hell did you think you were doing?!!"

"I was doing what was necessary, as I always have to. What are you bringing this thing here for anyway?"

"He's not a thing, he's our son!"

"No, he is _your_ son."

"Unbelievable!"

"Honestly it would not have been worth my time or my energy if I didn't pick up odd readings from this skeleton."

"That was why I brought him here; there is a problem and I think you are the only one who can fix it."

"Hmph. Why would I help you?"

"Because this may be an answer to that which you've been searching for a very, very long time."

Papyrus slowly opened his eyes to bright light and two figures. He sat up and blinked, the faces slowly coming into focus. Gaster's face, while a little hard to read, seemed to be relieved. The other figure... looked mostly just like him, but perhaps the look on his face was more annoyed than relieved.

"Wha- How- W-w-Wha...."

"Papyrus, this is Dr. Gaster."


	11. Sans' Secret Sacrifice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans really will do anything for his brother.  
> Also, Dr. Gaster can be a little harsh.

"Wha- How- W-w-Wha...."

"Papyrus, this is Dr. Gaster."

Too much shock too soon; Papyrus fainted.

Dr. Gaster raised an eye ridge. "Weak. Most definitely your son."

Gaster scowled, grabbing a cloth and wetting it with cool water and dabbing Papyrus' head with it.

"You really have to face reality, Doctor, that we were the same monster and he is just as much your son as he is mine," Gaster said hotly. "Just because you tore me from your body and mind to be more of a scientist and less of a father doesn't change that fact. You like science and facts so much? That is a fact right there."

Papyrus suddenly gasped and sat up.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF ALL THIS?!?" he demanded.

"Calm down, my son," Gaster said soothingly.

"I SHALL NOT! THERE IS SOMETHING GOING ON HERE AND I WILL GET TO THE BOTTOM OF IT! WHY ARE THERE TWO OF YOU? WHERE AM I? WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOU- meep!"

Papyrus was cut off by Dr. Gaster slamming his palms on either side of the table he was lying on, essentially forcing Papyrus back into a lying position unless he wanted their heads to clank against one another.

"Be. Quiet."

He and Papyrus locked eyes. Papyrus was angry and he wanted to fight back, however there was something about Dr. Gaster that made him stay silent, even want to back away and become compliant.

"See? A stern hand works better than a bleeding heart," Dr. Gaster said with a smirk as he backed away.

"Unnecessary," Gaster muttered.

"Your opinion is irrelevant," Dr. Gaster said reaching for a chair on wheels and pulling it close. He sat, crossing one leg over the other and holding his hands together, all fingertips touching, and leaned back a little.

Papyrus sat up again slowly and studied this new monster. He did look just like Gaster, from the cracked eyes to the height to the fact that he dressed in all black, though he wore a white coat as well. Unlike Gaster, he had a defined body; tall, lanky, a bit like Papyrus actually. The biggest difference was that Papyrus could feel that Dr. Gaster was likely closer in personality to Sans; cunning, quick, and possibly not to be trusted.

"My friend here tells me that we may have information that would greatly benefit us both," Dr. Gaster said. His voice was neutral.

"Perhaps," Papyrus said slowly. “First, why did you attack us?”

“For all I knew you were an invader. It was self-defense.”

Papyrus noted the lack of apology and let it go for the moment. There were more important things.

"What do you know about monsters only living with partial souls?"

Dr. Gaster blinked a few times. Papyrus could tell that there were many thoughts running through his mind because he had the same look in his eyes as Sans when he was having what he deemed a "bad day."

"It's quite possible, but a very, very rare thing to happen," Dr. Gaster murmured, his voice changing a bit from the cold tone he had before to something just a touch warmer and perhaps interested. "Do you feel well enough to walk, su- Papyrus?"

"Yes."

"Good. Follow me."

Papyrus moved off of the table with a small wince; his foot hurt when he put pressure on it. Gaster moved forward immediately to help him.

“I healed your foot as best I could,” Gaster said.

Papyrus nodded in thanks and they both followed Dr. Gaster out the door.

Outside of the room was a long hallway; it was mostly dark, lit by green and yellow lights. It reminded Papyrus a bit of Waterfall, however it also started giving him a horrible feeling that he couldn't place.

"M-may I ask a question?" Papyrus asked.

"No," Dr. Gaster said sharply. Papyrus gasped audibly at the snap and Dr. Gaster cleared his throat. "Sorry, I mean, please just wait a moment. Let us get to a proper place and we can explain everything at once."

"Oh, o-okay then," Papyrus stammered.

"Are you all right, son?" Gaster whispered, putting a hand on his shoulder.

 _‘No! Nothing is all right!’_ Papyrus wanted to shout. But Gaster's contact soothed any fears that were bubbling up.

It reminded him so much of Sans that his chest began to ache. How long had he been away at this point? Did Sans know his brother was gone? Did Frisk know he was gone? Was he too late as it was?

Before the full panic could settle in, Papyrus found himself in a very large room. There were tables and charts, bookshelves and strange devices, there was even some random scattered mess on the floor.

Another trait Dr. Gaster seemed to share with Sans.

"Now, what do you know about souls, Papyrus?" Dr. Gaster asked looking up at a board filled with his handwriting in the odd language.

"Honestly, not too much I guess," Papyrus said, feeling a little embarrassed at his lack of knowledge on the subject.

"Not many monsters do," Gaster assured him.

"He is correct," Dr. Gaster confirmed. "Souls, both human and monster alike, are complicated things. Humans seem to be a bit more so, however, we do not need to concern ourselves with them. It's monster souls, specifically the one that belongs to Sans, that we will concentrate on."

"May I ask my question now?" Papyrus pressed, for no matter what emotions he was feeling there were a few things he had to know.

Dr. Gaster sighed. "Might as well."

"Are you my father as well?" Papyrus asked, glancing over his shoulder at Gaster for a moment.

Dr. Gaster seemed to hesitate for a split second. "No."

"Oh."

"That is irrelevant," Dr. Gaster waved a hand dismissively. "I had been researching souls for the majority of my career. I will not bore you with details as I am fairly certain that you would not understand, and if I'm not mistaking time is of the essence?"

Papyrus felt he should be slightly insulted by Dr. Gaster's assumption, but he knew there wasn't much time.

"Being here in the void, I was given a few rare opportunities to continue my research on souls, and so I did. Though the most intriguing question was the one you first asked me; can monsters live without a whole soul?" He turned to Papyrus. "Tell me, how much has Sans told you about his life before you?"

Papyrus blinked, wracking his mind trying to think, searching his memory for anything Sans told him about things that happened before he had a memory.

"That I was a cute baby bones?" Papyrus ventured with a small shrug.

"Hm, no, I suppose he wouldn't have told you," Dr. Gaster murmured.

Papyrus got a sinking feeling in his stomach. "What didn't he tell me?"

"Is this really necessary?" Gaster asked as Dr. Gaster waved a hand in front of the board, wiping it blank.

"It is completely necessary, how else is he to learn?" Dr. Gaster replied coldly.

Papyrus turned to Gaster. "Father?"

Gaster couldn't meet his eyes.

Suddenly, they were in a hallway that was brightly lit. Though one would get the feeling there were others around, the figures of them were faded and mute; there was one lone skeleton sitting on a bench by himself. His head was down, elbows resting on his knees and hands clutched tightly together.

Papyrus would recognize that skeleton anywhere, even if he weren’t wearing the white t-shirt and black, striped shorts that he wore all the time. Papyrus moved closer to him and held a hand out, opening his mouth to call him.

_"Sans."_

Sans looked up and Papyrus recoiled in shock; this Sans was still very much a child, perhaps not even a preteen yet, and while it was a little jarring to see Sans that young and small, the look on his face was a look no child should ever have to bear.

Sans slid off of the chair, walking through Papyrus and standing in front of who seemed to be Dr. Gaster. He also looked much younger, the cracks in his skull weren’t as pronounced; some weren’t even there. He was still dressed the same as Papyrus saw him, black clothes and a white coat.

Dr. Gaster sighed as he dropped to one knee in an attempt to get in Sans' level, but he was so tall that he still towered over the child.

"Dad, what's going on?" Sans asked.

"He is very ill, Sans," Dr. Gaster said, sadness very evident in his voice. "We may have to face the possibility of losing him."

Sans took a breath, whether his intention was to cry or speak, it got caught and never came out. Dr. Gaster stood, taking the young skeleton’s hand and leading him into a room.

Papyrus followed. There seemed to be some sort of passage of time, as Sans was already sitting in a rocking chair, cradling a very tiny bundle in his arms and gently rocking back and forth. Papyrus ventured closer, carefully as not to disturb them, forgetting that this was merely a memory and he could not be seen nor heard.

Sans looked exhausted; dark lines were under each eye socket, he looked drained, and there were some trays of food left untouched to one side.

The bundle in his arms didn't look very well either. A tiny baby skeleton took breaths that seemed shallow and rattled slightly. The eyes were closed, but despite that one could just tell that this was one very sick baby skeleton.

Sans hugged the baby closer. "Please, Papyrus, you've got to beat this somehow," he murmured. "You're the best thing I have in my life right now, I can't lose you. I won't lose you!"

It had been obvious the young skeleton had been holding back tears, but now they flowed down his cheeks, leaving small dark drops on the red blanket the baby was wrapped in.

"I'd do anything to make you better. I would do anything."

Papyrus shook as the room suddenly went very cold.

“Anything?”

Sans and Papyrus both turned to see Dr. Gaster’s figure standing in the doorway, bathed in shadow.

Everything changed again and Sans was lying on a metal table, wearing nothing but a green hospital gown, his hands and feet bound down, he was calm but he was scared. Next to him was a slightly different table, this one had raised sides, and in the middle, lying still wrapped in a blanket sleeping, was baby Papyrus.

“You sure this is going to save him?” Sans asked.

“Nothing is ever guaranteed, Sans,” Dr. Gaster replied. “But it is the best chance Papyrus has.”

“W-w-will it h-hurt?” Sans couldn’t keep his voice from shaking.

Dr. Gaster, who seemed fairly cold during this entire exchange, tilted his head as he gave his oldest son an odd look. “If I told you that it did, would it change your mind?”

Sans’ hands tightened into fists. “No.”

It was said without hesitation.

Dr. Gaster moved to his side, putting a hand on the top of Sans’ skull. He gave the little skeleton a warmer look, one of sympathy and apology. “You would give your life to save your brother, wouldn’t you?” he murmured.

Sans nodded slowly. Dr. Gaster let out small huff of laughter and moved to stand by Sans’ side, holding a hand over Sans’ shuddering ribcage and reaching behind him to flip on a machine before moving to stand between the two little skeletons.

“What’s that?” Sans asked, lifting his head a little.

“I am going to record everything. This is the first time this sort of procedure has been done and records must be kept so improvements can be made,” Dr. Gaster explained.

Sans put his head back down and he shook more violently, his bones beginning to rattle. “And so if something goes wrong, you can fix it?”

Dr. Gaster was silent for a moment. He didn’t answer the question.

“Entry Two: Based off of my research thus far, I found it acceptable to move ahead with the next step in the experiment. Subject One is voluntarily allowing me to attempt to use a piece of their soul to stabilize the soul of Subject Two.”

Papyrus flinched at the look on Sans’ face as his father addressed the two as test subjects, but Sans seemed to let it go as Dr. Gaster refocused on him.

“I am now going to attempt to draw out Subject One’s soul.”

A bright blue glow came from Sans’ ribcage and he gasped as his soul slowly rose from his chest. Dr. Gaster cupped one hand underneath it.

“Extraction successful. Now I am going to attempt to take a piece from the soul of Subject One. It should survive long enough for me to merge it into the soul of Subject Two.”

A scalpel materialized in Dr. Gaster’s hand and he gently pushed the tip into the center of the soul.

The cry that came from Sans was wrenching; Papyrus squeezed his eyes shut and turned away from the memory. There seemed to be good reason he had been restrained to the table, for he convulsed violently against the straps.

“Soul piece extracted successfully, though I fear at a great cost. Subject One is covered in sweat, he has stopped screaming and has possibly passed out,” Dr. Gaster said.

Papyrus finally looked up; Sans’ soul still seemed to be intact, though the area where the piece was cut glowing white now with slight traces of blue, as if the soul was trying to reform the piece it lost. Dr. Gaster turned his hand over and pushed it back towards Sans’ ribcage, where it sank in immediately. Sans coughed a few times and was trying to keep his eyes open.

The piece Gaster has taken was in a diamond shape, glowing the same bright blue and spinning wildly in his other hand. He quickly turned to the baby. Sans finally seemed to be able to keep his eyes open and strained to see what was going on next to him.

“I will now attempt to merge this piece with the soul of Subject Two. This is very delicate considering the age of the subject. I am hoping that once integrated, Subject Two will become much more active.”

Papyrus has unconsciously moved closer to the table where the baby was, not truly realizing he had moved until he was staring down at himself. Dr. Gaster put a hand over the baby and the soul’s extraction was nearly instantaneous. The tiny, orange-colored heart fluttered like a bird in Gaster’s hand, it was trembling, almost frantic in its pulsing. Papyrus’ own soul began to ache at the sight.

“Subject Two’s soul extraction was successful, though disturbingly easy. It may have to do with the condition of Subject Two; the soul seems to be lacking in self-preservation ability. Hopefully the piece extracted from Subject One will help it.”

Dr. Gaster brought the hand with the piece forward; keeping his hands hovered over the baby. He gently tilted the piece towards the orange soul.

“Come on,” he murmured. “Please work.”

Slowly, the blue piece floated towards the soul. The soul stopped trembling so much as the piece came closer, then slowly, orange wisps of the soul reached out and slowly enveloped the blue piece.

The reaction was frightening at first. The orange soul had stilled completely, making Dr. Gaster’s breath hitch, then suddenly a bright burst of light and energy emanated from it and the soul seemed to grow a little in size. It behaved more like Sans’, it seemed happier, fuller, more lively.

Dr. Gaster let out a sigh of relief, as did Papyrus, and he gently pressed the soul back into the tiny body lying below. He waited for a few moments, and only when the baby took in a deep breath without any rattling sound and started crying did he move away.

“It appears to have been successful,” Dr. Gaster said, turning back to Sans, who had tears leaking from his eyes the moment he heard Papyrus’ cry. He reached over, almost hesitantly, to put his hand on the top of Sans’ head, smiling down at him. “I will monitor their progress over the next few days. Only time will tell how successful we really are.”

The memory faded, leaving Papyrus shaking a little where he stood.

“Papyrus?” Gaster prompted.

“I, I need a moment.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't we all? T_T  
> Love you all who have left comments and kudos, love you all who haven't but keep reading anyway, thank you for being supportive and understanding ^_^
> 
> Oh, also, drew some inspiration for Sans' sacrifice from a story I read about a pair of siblings. The sister was sick, needed a transfusion, little brother was the only match. He was all of like, three or four, but they explained the situation and he agreed to it. The day of the transfusion, they had both siblings lying together, they smiled at one another, and it was a lovely moment. But then the boy turned pale and asked the doctors, "How soon will I start to die?"  
> The little boy misunderstood the procedure and thought he had to give *all* of his blood to his sister.  
> Aaaand this is why I love kids.


	12. Prodigal Frisk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk makes it back home with help from Tuffet, they bring the note back, and we get to see Asgore again!  
> Kind filler-ish because the next series of events in the void is a little complicated. But then again, we are dealing with Dr. Gaster.

The front door opened, startling Tori from her dozing, her book sliding off of her lap.

“Frisk?” she called out, standing from her rocking chair. “Frisk? Papyrus? Please tell me-”

Toriel screamed. Undyne had already been making her way downstairs, but now flew down at Toriel’s scream, and both the fish monster and former Queen stared at the large spider monster that stood in the doorway.

Undyne cracked her knuckles, readying for a fight. The spider monster growled and puffed his chest. Thankfully, Frisk shuffled from behind him, waving their hands.

“No, no, it’s okay,” they assured them.

“Oh, Frisk,” Toriel dropped to her knees and pulled the child close, hugging them tightly. “My child! You scared the daylights out of me! Where have you been?”

“Where’s Papyrus?” Undyne asked. She snarled at the spider monster again. “And who’s this punk?”

“I am Tuffet,” the spider monster said with a slight bow. “I had met this child in the Ruins, I do not understand them but they seemed to be in some trouble. With my cousin Muffet’s help I was able to bring them home.”

“Frisk, tell us what happened? Where is Papyrus?” Toriel asked, running a hand through Frisk’s hair.

Frisk told them about how they couldn’t find the opening so they climbed to where Frisk had fallen. They continued with their adventures in the Ruins, their battle with Tuffet, the strange noises Papyrus heard in the house, and the secret room.

“This was all I found in there, besides the weird machine in the corner,” Frisk said, reaching into their pocket to fish out the paper.

Undyne looked over Toriel’s shoulder as she took the paper, carefully looking at both sides.

“That seems to be Sans’ handwriting, but what are those weird symbols?” Undyne asked.

Tuffet shifted uncomfortably. “I hope that you will all forgive me; this is my first trip to the surface and I’m a little… Anxious.”

“Oh, dear, I do apologize,” Toriel said, shaking her head and standing. “Please, have a cup of tea and a piece of pie? It’s the least I can do to thank you for bringing my precious child home to us.”

“I appreciate the offer, but I must get back to my clan,” Tuffet said.

With another bow, he skittered out the door, closing it behind him.

“What an odd monster, I don’t remember seeing them around the Ruins before,” Toriel murmured. She took Frisk by the hand and led them to the kitchen. “You will most definitely have tea and pie; I don’t even know when the last time you’ve eaten was.”

Frisk sat with no argument and Undyne grabbed a chair, spinning it around to sit it in backwards.

“What were those funny things on the paper?” Undyne prompted.

“Oh, dear, I nearly forgot,” Toriel said, the paper still in her hands. “I do not recognize the language. I believe I have seen such a thing once or twice before, for some reason the word ‘hands’ comes to mind.”

Undyne frowned. “I wonder if Alphys would know, my girl is smart after all.”

“Know what?” Alphys said from the doorway. She looked tired. “Oh, Frisk, you returned!” she smiled at the child and pat them on the shoulder lovingly.

Undyne turned in the seat and pat her lap. With only a very slight blush, Alphys moved to her and let the fish monster scoop her up and hold her in her lap.

“How’s the bonehead?” Undyne asked.

“The same; Little to no breathing, the breathes he does take rattle slightly,” Alphys shuddered. “It’s disturbing… It _sounds_ like he’s… Falling.”

Undyne gripped her tightly.

“Alphys, do you recognize this at all?” Toriel said, handing Alphys the paper while setting a cup of tea in front of Frisk.

“Oh, oh wow,” Alphys breathed, adjusting her glasses and looking at the symbols very carefully. “Where did you find this?”

“Frisk brought it back,” Toriel said, Frisk nodding to confirm, “said it was in the secret room.”

Alphys stuck her fingers under her glasses to rub her eyes and blinked again at the paper.

“You’ve seen this before?” Undyne prompted.

“Once or twice, this is most definitely Sans’ handwriting,” she turned the paper over. “I don’t know about this side, though. It’s similar, but it seems too heavy-handed to be his. I’m not a handwriting analysist though.”

“The strange symbols, though?” Frisk asked.

“I think I heard it being mentioned as ‘hands.’ There was a scientist before me that spoke in an odd language.”

Toriel sighed. “I think I have to make a phone call.”

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Asgore stared at the paper with incredulity. “And where did you find this, child?”

“Sans had a secret room in the back of the house; Papyrus had found the key to the door, I had left to get us some food and when I came back, he was gone and this was on the floor,” Frisk explained.

“Do you recognize it?” Toriel asked.

“Yes. This is the native language of my former lead scientist, a monster named Dr. Gaster. Of course, I don’t speak or read it, it looks quite complicated, but I do remember seeing these strange symbols in his notes.”

“Do you think he has anything to do with Sans and Papyrus?” Toriel asked.

Asgore’s brows furrowed as he searched his memory. “I am uncertain. It was so long ago, and so much has happened,” he sighed, letting the note fall form his hand onto the kitchen table. “I am a little concerned if he is involved, though. Dr. Gaster was quite brilliant and a wonderful creature, however, he did seem a bit unstable when he began his research on The Core.”

“W-w-what do you m-mean by unst-stable?” Alphys stammered.

“He became obsessed with his work, a few times when I checked in with him he just seemed colder and more calculating. I was beginning to fear for his sanity when it all seemed to go wrong one day and he was lost,” Asgore sighed. “Such a mess; his lab was in ruins, some of his colleagues scattered, some may have also been lost, as well as most of his research. What little I did find I have given to you, Dr. Alphys.”

Alphys shook her head. “I n-never made m-much sense of it, h-he really w-w-was beyond his time.”

Undyne squeezed her; she was still sitting in her lap. “Well you didn’t do something stupid like get lost in your own creations, babe.”

Alphys sighed; of course there was more to it than that, she felt, but now wasn’t the time to go over such things. Undyne snuck a kiss on the side of her neck, making her blush for entirely different reasons.

“Do you think he has anything to do with why Papyrus is missing?” Frisk asked.

“Your guess is as good as mine, child,” Asgore said with a sigh. “However I must say that if he is, I hope that your friend can handle it.”


	13. Here We Go Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus starts questioning, but he already knows the answer to how far a brother's love can go.  
> However, is it too far? Has Sans' sacrifice done more harm than good?  
> Papyrus, I am so, so sorry...

Papyrus wandered down the hall, not really paying any sort of attention to his surroundings. It wasn't so much that his brother's actions surprised him... No, that was a lie, he wasn’t surprised in the least. Papyrus knew that Sans would do anything for him, and Sans knew Papyrus would do anything for him as well. But to know that Sans made such a huge sacrifice and that it had such a horrible consequence was too much for Papyrus to bear.

_"You can't reverse it. Not only is it ludicrous but it is impossible."_

Dr. Gaster's words to the one question he asked continued to echo in his mind.

Papyrus slowed his walking until he eventually stopped. He brought a hand to his chest and sank into the dull ache that had been building. He began to realize that his chest had been hurting a lot since he arrived.

"Papyrus?" Gaster's voice broke into his thoughts.

"Father," Papyrus turned to face him and was a little surprised to see that it seemed he had barely moved from the room.

Gaster chuckled at his confused look. "Funny thing about being lost in time and space; things have a way of returning to you. Or you’re not really going anywhere at all."

Papyrus gave him a weak smile in return. "Father, may I ask you some things?"

"Of course, my son."

Gaster moved to walk next to Papyrus and they continued down the hall.

"How is it that you exist, and then Dr. Gaster exists?"

"That question can have some very complicated answers. The simplest one I can give is this; sometime in our life, it became necessary to shut out parts of ourselves. When we came here, we became so separated from one another that we became our own beings."

"But you both are still the same person?"

"Not necessarily. Not anymore, at any rate. Dr. Gaster lacks my compassion, but I lack his drive. He has the ability to attack and defend, I hold the ability to heal. Pretty much the only things we share these days are memories and the void."

Papyrus nodded slowly, taking all of this in.

"Why did Sans do it, Father? Why did he make such a decision? I don't want to be ungrateful, but I'm a little angry with him," Papyrus admitted.

"Would you have done any different if you were in his shoes?"

"Of course not. But now he’s dying, and there must be some way- agh!"

The pain in his chest suddenly spiked to sharp and stabbing. Papyrus wrapped his arms around himself, struggling to breathe.

"What is it? What's happening?" Gaster asked, putting his arms around Papyrus to keep him upright.

"Pain, hurts," was all Papyrus could get out.

Hearing the commotion, Dr. Gaster came out.

"What is going on?" he demanded.

Gaster was too focused on helping Papyrus, who was in too much pain to speak. Dr. Gaster focused in on Papyrus' soul and his eyes widened.

"We must get the subject to the lab," Dr. Gaster said, going to Papyrus's other side to support him.

"What's going on?" Gaster asked, ignoring the way he addressed Papyrus.

"I cannot say for sure just yet."

"That's your answer to everything."

"Do you want to help your son or do you want to argue with me?"

"You haven't exactly been the trustworthy type."

"Oh, sweet stars, please stop it," Papyrus pleaded.

The two Gaster's exchanged looks and focused their efforts on getting Papyrus to the lab.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"Incredible, absolutely incredible," Dr. Gaster murmured.

“What is it?” Gaster asked, standing next to Papyrus and holding one of his hands. It was a little challenging, as Dr. Gaster insisted they strap him down to the table, the way he did to Sans.

“If these readings are correct, his soul repaired itself, and now is rejecting the piece that was transplanted when he was a baby.”

“That doesn’t make any sense!”

“D-does that mean,” Papyrus gasped. “I can save S-Sans?”

“Doubtful, it wouldn’t survive the journey back,” Dr. Gaster said. “However, if it is not removed it could possibly kill you, too.”

Papyrus groaned. “I take it back; I’m going to kill Sans for making that decision.”

Gaster frowned as Papyrus pulled his hand away, clenching it into a fist and turning his head away.

“What can we do?” Gaster asked.

“What choice do we have?” Dr. Gaster looked a little too excited considering the circumstances. “If he is to continue living, we will need to operate.”

Gaster frowned deeper.

Almost an hour later, Gaster and Dr. Gaster had taken Papyrus’ armor off, leaving him in the t-shirt he wore underneath. The scarf was taken off but he gave Gaster a slight whine and asked that it be kept close.

“Ridiculous and unnecessary,” Dr. Gaster muttered.

“He’s scared,” Gaster said with a scowl. “You know, this was originally a blanket of mine. We wrapped you in it as a baby; I suppose as you grew, your brother found another use for it.”

He folded the scarf and tucked it under Papyrus’ head.

“If you two are quite finished?” Dr. Gaster said.

“I swear if you harm him-“

Dr. Gaster sighed. “I’m about to pull out his soul and cut what is basically becoming an infection that will kill him. This is going to hurt.”

“You’re not going to sedate him?!?”

“With what? Besides, Sans handled it just fine.”

“You should have sedated him, too, and he was a child!”

Papyrus groaned in pain. Gaster turned back to him and took a deep breath.

“Do you want me to attempt to save his life or make him comfortable for his death?”

Gaster couldn’t answer and just turned away.

Dr. Gaster stood by the table. “Try to relax.”

Papyrus nodded and closed his eyes.

Dr. Gaster put his hand over Papyrus’ chest, waited for it start glowing his signature warm, red-orange color, and started to pull at his soul.

It was an odd sensation; already his chest had been feeling like a burning sword was twisting in his soul and it sent a horrible ache through his entire body. It just _felt_ like an infection was slowly taking him over. Now with Dr. Gaster trying to pull his soul out, it was as if thorny vines had a hold of every part of him, painfully scraping every inch. It was borderline unbearable.

_“Sans, I wish you were here,”_ Papyrus thought, struggling to keep from crying out in anguish while feeling like he was being torn apart slowly.

Gaster tried to not watch; the horrible way his son’s face contorted through the pain was enough to turn his stomach. He wished with every last fiber of his being that he could switch places with him, that he could take it all away, but he couldn’t just then. Healing didn’t quite work that way here. He chanced a glance at Dr. Gaster’s face and that made him want to vomit – Dr. Gaster’s face was cold, emotionless, though he sensed (or maybe imagined) some slight hint of satisfaction with the whole process.

Papyrus couldn’t hold it in any longer and cried out in pain. Dr. Gaster gave another tug and finally, Papyrus’ soul rose from his chest. Dr. Gaster nearly gasped, drawing Gaster attention as well.

“Dear stars,” Gaster whispered.

Like every other soul, Papyrus’s was heart-shaped, however it was distorted, almost gorged, as darker orange energy seemed to be trying hard to keep something contained. It was, really, because the two could see that under the orange there was a pale blue glow, and it was moving around as if trying to get out.

Papyrus groaned, lifting his head a little. Everything still hurt and now there was an odd, empty feeling, but he was trying to ignore it in favor of figuring out what was going on.

“This is what getting too attached gets you,” Dr. Gaster said, making the soul turn around slowly to study every angle. “That extra piece knows it doesn’t belong there and it’s trying to leave, and your soul won’t let it,” he waited a moment, still studying the soul before humming in thought. “Or, your soul is trying to reject it, and it just won’t leave; perhaps because it knows it’s keeping you alive. Or rather, it did keep you alive.”

Papyrus writhed uncomfortably on the table.

“Would you just fix it already?” Gaster muttered.

Dr. Gaster seemed to roll his eyes as he picked up a scalpel. Papyrus tried to steel himself, flashes from the memory played in his mind as well as fear; he had no ide what was going to happen, after all. Neither of them did.

The tip of the scalpel pressed into the soul. Papyrus screamed. Then the soul glowed incredibly bright; Dr. Gaster dropped the scalpel and almost dropped the soul. After a moment the soul rose in the air, glowing brighter and brighter, a mix of orange, blue, and white.

“What did you do?” Gaster demanded as everything in the room began to shake.

“It’s unstable! It’s converging with magic!” Dr. Gaster cried, stepping back and shielding his eyes.

Gaster turned and started to release Papyrus. When the final strap was released, two beams of energy shot from Papyrus’ soul and pushed both Gaster and Dr. Gaster back.

Papyrus suddenly felt better; the pain had disappeared, and while he still felt that strange emptiness, it wasn’t as disturbing. He looked up at his soul still hovering in the air above him and held his breath. It was a little difficult to see with how brightly it was glowing, but it did look like the blue piece was separating from his orange. When the piece of blue, still diamond-shaped, pulled completely away from the orange, it seemed to grow slightly. Papyrus sat up a little and reached up for his soul, but he was pushed back with a burst of energy. The glowing became brighter again and he was forced to close his eyes. He wondered if he would pass out again.

What neither of them could see was the magic that began swirling around the blue piece of soul, surrounding it, and giving it more shape and form. Papyrus’ soul slowly sank back into his chest and he immediately felt better. Exhausted, but the pain was finally gone.

Then he felt a weight settle against him; it felt familiar and comforting. As if urged by instinct and reinforced by practice, he lifted his hands and they settled on a small backside, soft, familiar fabric under his hands, and he felt a head move against his chest in a sleepy, almost nuzzling fashion. He finally looked down and he felt he really was going to faint.

“S-s-SANS?!?!?!?”


	14. When Sans Met Papyrus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Gasters explore the nature of their relationship to one another. How does this affect the skeleton brothers?  
> Another memory to warm the heart before taking a cool bath in the situation of reality.
> 
> .... Solo still sucks at summaries :-P

“Sans! Sans! It’s you! It’s really you!”

Gaster slowly got to his feet; he had been knocked into the wall in the chaos. Gaster took a moment to drink in the image of both of his sons together, but reality came back to him quickly and he immediately changed his glance to Dr. Gaster.

Dr. Gaster, who was brushing the arms of his lab coat with his eyes fixed on the skeletons on the table. Dr. Gaster, who usually had looks of neutrality, impatience, or intense concentration, was looking at them with great interest.

“Fascinating,” Dr. Gaster murmured, moving closer. Gaster mirrored him, approaching the table at the same rate but almost hesitantly. “The magic of the void materialized a body for the soul to inhabit. Incredible.”

“But that can’t really be Sans, is it?” Gaster murmured.

“No, it isn’t. It is a projection of Sans, and what’s more, it’s a projection of Sans as a child.”

Papyrus hadn’t heard a word as he was too busy hugging the little skeleton he found sprawled on him. Finally, though, the little skeleton pushed himself up to look down at him, confused and almost scared.

“Who are you?” he asked.

“Why, I’m your brother! Papyrus!” he blinked at him, apparently ignoring that Sans’ voice sounded different. “How could you forget me?”

Sans blinked. “You can’t be Papyrus, Papyrus is a baby,” his eyes widened in panic. “Where is he? Did it work?! Dad! Did-” Sans stopped short when he looked to find the two Gasters staring at them. “Dad,” Sans had switched to their language. “What did you do?”

Gaster smiled and put a hand on the little one’s skull. “We do have a lot to discuss,” he murmured soothingly, answering in their language as well. “The important things you should understand are that this _is_ your brother, Papyrus, yes, the operation did work, and that you are safe with us.”

Sans looked a little frightened by Gaster, but seemed instantly soothed by his words. He yawned.

“Can I take a nap first?” Sans murmured before collapsing back onto Papyrus. “I feel bone-tired.”

Papyrus chuckled weakly and wrapped his arms around him as his eyes slowly shut. “Normally I would say you’re being lazybones, but a nap may be called for, this once.”

“We cannot waste time,” Dr. Gaster started.

“You hush,” Gaster snapped. “Give them twenty minutes, at least.”

Dr. Gaster made a strange noise and stormed out of the room. Gaster looked fondly at his sons, happy to see them together again. He bent and pressed a kiss on top of each of their heads before leaving them to sleep off their stress.

Once outside of the room, Gaster immediately went searching for his other half. He found Dr. Gaster in the room he brought Papyrus to show him the memory of what happened back when he was an infant. The board that he wiped clean was filled with notes and scribbles. Dr. Gaster was going between the board and the papers he had littering the table. This was never a good thing and Gaster was always suspicious of the motives of his counterpart.

“So what’s all of this then?” Gaster asked in a murmur, leaning against the table and crossing his arms.

“Nothing you would deign to be important,” Dr. Gaster murmured, barely paying attention.

“Important enough to ask,” Gaster’s voice took a more serious tone. “I don’t like the progress of events since I brought Papyrus here. He came to look for a cure for Sans, you know this as well as I. Now either there is a cure and we’re going to help him and return him to where he belongs, or,” he swallowed hard, not liking the implications of the other option.  
“We just return him home.”

Dr. Gaster, who had been nearly on his tip-toes to write something on the top portion of the board, lowered himself slowly and sighed before he turned around.

“Look, I know we don’t always agree on everything, however logic would dictate that we both don’t want to be living in this void,” Dr. Gaster said. “I suppressed you when it became necessary to finish the work dictated of us. The void has just now done that physically.”

“This is all information we both know.”

“I’ve been trying to find a way out. As happy as I would be to leave you here so you can continue your hobby of wandering the void and assisting passers-by, you know as well as I do we cannot do it unless we are whole.”

“If you would accept your humanity back, that wouldn’t be an issue.”

“If you would accept that I am who I am, it wouldn’t be an issue either.”

Gaster sputtered. “What do you mean? I don’t like you, but I accept who you are.”

Dr. Gaster laughed. “As a less eloquent being would say, you’re full of shit.”

“How can you say that?”

“Because you can’t stand the fact that I am willing to cross the lines that you cannot,” Dr. Gaster started moving towards him. “You have been suspicious of me this entire time, thinking that I am going to harm your precious son.”

Gaster backed away as Dr. Gaster got closer. He slowly backed into a wall.

“Aren’t you?” he asked.

Dr. Gaster chuckled. “So suspicious. Sometimes things can’t be helped, but you cannot accept that. Do you realize the level of repulsion one must feel to create the sort of split we have? Didn’t you ever question how we are two complete beings that not only exist but thrive in a place such as this? You were so concerned about your humanity, your sympathies, your feelings,” he laughed again, putting one hand on the wall over Gaster’s shoulder. “You may call me evil, cold, and calculating all you want. However, you are selfish. Don’t tell me that keeping your son here hasn’t crossed your mind at least once?”

Gaster kept eye contact, though one of his eyes twitched and he sighed.

“Yes, I will admit that it has crossed my mind. I haven’t seen him since he was a baby, after all. That I partially blame on you.”

Dr. Gaster backed off and shrugged. “I’m willing to take full responsibility.”

“To have him back, here, just,” Gaster sighed, crossing his arms and looking away. “You just don’t understand.”

Dr. Gaster nodded. “And I do wish that you would accept that I don’t understand. You have spent so many years trying to convince me to find my lost humanity, however, that has been inside of you. You just do not want to adopt my sins,” he looked Gaster up and down. “And frankly, I don’t want to adopt your weaknesses either.”

Gaster scowled at him as he turned away and went back to the board.

“So what are you doing?” Gaster asked after a few minutes of silence.

“Since we refuse to accept the sins of the other, I’m looking for another way. Papyrus and Sans’ situation may lead us to an answer, but we do not have time to waste. Now make yourself useful and monitor them, don’t let them sleep too long.”

Gaster shifted uncomfortably, still unsure of what Dr. Gaster had in mind, but he pushed off the wall with a sigh and went back down the hall to be with his sons.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

When Gaster returned to the room, he was a little surprised to see Papyrus sitting up on the table with his legs crossed instead of sleeping. He had shifted the little Sans into a somewhat cradled position between his lap and arms. He realized that Papyrus’ t-shirt was a little over-sized as it pooled around his hipbones. It was cute, however, Gaster wished they were surrounded by a home instead of a laboratory.

“If I didn’t know any better, I would say you were the older brother,” Gaster said with a chuckle.

Papyrus gave a small nod and his small smile widened a bit, but he didn’t take his eyes off of the sleeping face of the child he held. His face was filled with an odd sort of wonder as he brushed his other hand across the little skull, his thumb running across the cheekbone. Gaster had seen that sort of look before.

“He’s so small,” Papyrus murmured. Then his smile fell a little. “Father, why is he so small?”

“I suppose you didn’t hear what Dr. Gaster had explained,” Gaster said. “This isn’t Sans as you know him. This one is a projection from the piece of soul that was inside of you, and since he was a child when it was given, he is a child now.”

Papyrus sighed and hugged the little skeleton closer, resting his chin on the top of his head. “I really do have the best big brother in the world. He was so little, how in the world did he make such a decision?”

Gaster smiled and leaned against the table and put a hand on Papyrus’ shoulder. “Your brother may not act like it, but he is quite bright, you know. He loved you so, so much.”

Papyrus shook his head a little. “Maybe it’s because I’m the younger brother, but how could he? In the grand scheme of things, he barely knew me, if you think about it.”

Gaster chuckled, reaching over slowly to lightly touch the tips of his fingers on Sans’ chest. The fact that Papyrus tensed didn’t escape Gaster’s notice. He pulled his hand away and waved it beside them.

“I’d like to show you a memory of his; he should still have his memories up to the operation. Past that, it’s likely he shares the same memory as you, if any at all,” Gaster explained.

_Sans paced in the small room. He wasn’t a stranger to this place; six hard, plastic chairs lined the wall, a small bookshelf with various books was in the corner. Sans would make a habit of reading them upside-down and sometimes backwards, as he had all but memorized them, however today wasn’t a day for reading. The young skeleton looked nervous, rubbing his hands together and then shoving them into his jacket pockets and then pulling them out again._

_Finally, the door to the room opened. Sans looked up expectantly._

“ _Sit down, Sans,” Gaster said gently. It almost didn’t look like him; he was still wearing black pants, but he wore a soft, knitted white sweater that seemed to be a little big. The scooped neckline revealed his collarbones a little, something about the way it hung made it seem he was quite thin underneath it._

Gaster looked more like a father and the least like a scientist that Papyrus had seen him as thus far.

_Sans quickly sat in one of the chairs and looked up, little face expectant again, though less worried, as Gaster moved all he way into the room. In his arms, there was a bundle of red. Something underneath it seemed to squirm._

“ _Is it a puppy?” Sans asked._

_Gaster chuckled. “I think you might like this a little better,” he said. “Here, hold out your arms.”_

_Sans obeyed, looking a little confused._ _He knew his father was working on something that he described as ‘big’ and ‘important’ – not that he really needed to describe in that much detail as he had been a little more cranky and short-tempered, the usual side-effects of working on something important. Sans had been slightly suspicious of the discussions they had been having about responsibility as well as his father’s concern over whether or not his son was lonely._

_Gaster carefully set the bundle in Sans' arms, adjusting where necessary, helping Sans close his arms around it, giving it the right support in the right spots. Sans frowned slightly, looking into the bundle to figure out what it was._

“ _Nyeh, nyeh,” a tiny voice fussed under the blanket._

_Sans lifted a hand to push down the blanket a little. A tiny, oval-shaped face blinked up at him, still fussing a little._

“ _A baby,” Sans breathed in awe._

“ _Yes,” Gaster said, taking the seat next to Sans. “This is Papyrus.”_

_Sans' breathe caught, reaching down to trace a finger over the top of the baby's skull._

“ _Hey there, Papyrus,” Sans murmured softly. “I'm Sans, your big brother.”_

_Papyrus nuzzled into the blanket with a soft cooing sound._

“ _Man, you are teeny. Skeletons as cute as you must be in short supply, heh.”_

_Gaster chuckled._

“ _C'mon, bro, was just a tiny pun.”_

_Papyrus began fussing again, wriggling a little in the blanket._

“ _It's no small matter, bro, but I think I already love you,” Sans tightened his arms every so slightly, leaning his head down to cuddle the baby._

_Gaster tilted his head. “So you like your baby brother, then?”_

“ _I love him,” he murmured. “I love my brother so much.”_

“I know he does,” Gaster said as the memory faded. “When you became ill, I didn't even explain everything to him and he was adamant about helping you.”

Papyrus nodded, hugging Sans even closer.

“But what happens now?” Papyrus asked.

“We find a way to take you boys home.”

Papyrus shifted a little. “Is that what Dr. Gaster is currently trying to figure out?”

“I am.”

They turned to see Dr. Gaster in the doorway.

“I suppose you didn't need the rest, then?” he asked.

Papyrus nodded. “I never need as much sleep as my lazy brother,” he said without any heat behind it. “How do we get home?”

“Hm. Well, home is where your family is, and you have your father and brother, so logically, you are already home.”

“Don't you dare-”

Gaster stood, but before he could even take a step towards the figure in the doorway, Dr. Gaster held up a hand. Dark tendrils of magic rose and rooted him in place.

Papyrus gasped, gripping Sans tightly and turning away protectively. Sans stirred.

“What's going on?” he murmured.

Papyrus tried to move into a less vulnerable position, but before he could move anything, Dr. Gaster opened a hole underneath the two skeletons and they fell. Papyrus continued to hold onto Sans, moving so when they finally landed, he landed on his side with Sans still safe in his arms.

“What happened? Where are we?” Sans asked, pushing off of Papyrus and getting to his feet.

They were basically in a prison cell; there was a piece of metal jutting out of the wall which one could suppose passed as a bed, the walls were cold and dark as was the floor, no windows, and a doorway. Sans ran for it, and once he reached the threshold a net of electricity crackled and zapped the little skeleton. Sans cried out in pain.

“Sans!” Papyrus cried out from the floor.

The taller skeleton scrambled up just as Sans was thrown back. He caught him and sat with him in his lap.

“Ugh, that was shocking,” Sans murmured.

“Are you hurt?” Papyrus ignored the pun.

“I don't think so.”

“That will teach you to behave,” Dr. Gaster said, appearing on the other side of the door.

“Why are you doing this? What do you want from us?” Papyrus demanded.

“You are going to help me go back to reality,” Dr. Gaster said. “And once I am there, I can finish my work and destroy humanity.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all again for reading and hanging in there with me. I'm trying my best to keep it all together and you all have been absolutely wonderful to me :-) Thank you all again.


	15. Sins of the Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This long chapter contains explanations, expositions, and magic.

Sans paced like an animal in a cage, anger twisted his grin into a scowl. He had shouted in his language, shouted in English, and Papyrus was mostly just sitting against the wall, watching him in awe since he had never seen Sans angry, much less this active.

“Wowie, Sans, I had no idea you had so much energy, well, ever,” Papyrus said.

“This isn’t fair! How can you just sit there?!” Sans shouted, spinning to face him.

“Because I am trying to think; this is a puzzle, and I, The Great Puzzle Master Papyrus, will figure it out!”

Sans huffed and dropped into a seated position in front of the skinny skeleton, crossing his arms and looking very annoyed.

Papyrus almost had to cover his mouth to hide his smile; he knew they weren’t in a very good situation right now (who was he kidding, it was downright horrible), but he was finding probably too much amusement in this young Sans’ behaviors. His big brother was easy-going, almost to the point of carelessness, he never became emotional (not in front of others at any rate), and getting him to do almost any level of physical activity was like catching that annoying dog – futile.

Sans studied him; it wasn’t the first time the young skeleton took in the other that claimed to be his little brother, and was almost incredulous with the idea that the teeny, tiny baby on the brink of death was now this tall and fairly strong and capable-looking being in front of him now.

“Do you have any idea how weird it is that everything has changed except me?” Sans asked. “Dad is now two people, a good side and an evil side. You’re all, like, grown up and stuff, and I’m still, well, me.”

“I wish I had an answer, Sans, however I am not sure how all of this works myself,” Papyrus said. “I didn’t expect to end up here, granted, I didn’t really expect anything in particular. I came back to our house in Snowdin looking for answers. I received some, I suppose, but not the one I was looking for.”

Sans nodded. He didn’t need to ask, he did share Papyrus’ memories up until that point.

“So, what will happen to me if we do get back to your brother?” Sans mumbled, tracing his finger over the floor.

“I do not know, Sans,” Papyrus said with a sigh. “The only thing I know is that until then, The Great Papyrus will be the best big brother you could ever have.”

Papyrus grinned widely at him, Sans’ grin turned upwards ever so slightly in return.

“You’re the coolest, bro,” he said softly.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

“You know, I thought you were out of your mind before, but now I know you are absolutely certifiable!” Gaster nearly spat the words.

Dr. Gaster just titled his chin up slightly at his counterpart, who he had pinned against the wall with magic.

“We had orders, you know that as well as I,” Dr. Gaster said, folding his arms behind his back. “I am a tad disappointed that now we finally may have a way out of this wretched void, you are forgetting that we have a job to finish.”

“But it’s been years! Who knows what has happened?!?”

“We will find out once we get to the surface and report to King Asgore.”

“But what about Papyrus and Sans? You would forsake our own offspring?”

“Who said I was forsaking them?  I am merely going to figure out how they arrived here, how Papyrus’ soul seems to have regenerated, its connection with Sans gaining a body around the little sliver he has – it could revolutionize the way monster-kind lives!”

“But at what cost? Both operations nearly killed them!”

“Sans was a mere child, and he survived just fine.”

“ _As far as we know_ ,” Gaster tried to emphasize. “Already we know that there were some serious repercussions, otherwise Papyrus wouldn’t have come here trying to find a way to save Sans’ life!”

“I wonder if either of you have stopped to think that perhaps it is just the natural order of things? Perhaps Sans’ time is simply up? Maybe there is no cure to whatever malady this hysterical, over-emotional skeleton monster claims his brother has?”

Gaster shuddered at the cold, almost clinical way Dr. Gaster spoke about his boys, but his resolve remained.

“Have you ever stopped to think that if it _were_ natural, he wouldn’t be so distraught?”

Dr. Gaster turned away. “It doesn’t matter. They are here now and they are merely subjects in my upcoming experiments,” he glanced over his shoulder at Gaster. “You will thank me once this is all over. We will be whole again, and you will finally see it my way.”

Gaster struggled against the bonds, but knew it was a mere token effort. Dr. Gaster walked away without another glance. After a few moments, Gaster gave up with a sigh. Dr. Gaster’s magic exceeded his own in this respect and he had no other way out.

“Stay strong, my sons, we’ll find a way, I just know it.”

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

This child version of Sans may not have been as lazy as the Sans Papyrus knew, but he was still a child and tired easily. He slept on the bed while Papyrus paced. His red scarf was tucked around the child as best he could. Of course, Papyrus wouldn’t sleep.

“There must be a way out of here,” Papyrus muttered.

Before Sans had fallen asleep, he had looked at the door again and ventured putting his hand through it. Sure enough whatever was set up to shock them if they tried to go through was still there and worked on him; he lost feeling in his fingers for a good while.

“Sucks, doesn’t it?” Sans had said with a shudder.

Papyrus focused as hard as he could, searching his memory for anything that either Gaster or Dr. Gaster had said that could be of any help.

_“Magic and energy exist in waves and unstable spots. I can see where they are strong and where they are weak…”_

His father’s words rang in his mind.

“That’s right,” Papyrus murmured. “The void is mostly magic and energy. There must be some way that I can use that to my advantage. But how…”

He continued to pace, his mind racing but getting nowhere. He grunted in frustration and sat down hard. After a moment, he decided that doing something was better than doing nothing. Maybe if he reached out with his own magic, something would come to him.

Papyrus had rarely used magic for much of anything else other than his attacks. Even his puzzles didn’t use any significant source of his magic. Magic was more of Sans’ thing, even if he used it for lazy purposes.

By the stars, Papyrus missed him.

Papyrus tried to focus on his magic, his eyes slipping halfway closed as he concentrated on bringing up the energy that lay mostly dormant within him. He felt warm, like the sun was beating down on him on a summer’s day, and he could see the orange glow that was the manifestation of his magical energy.

Great, he had it, but what to do with it?

He concentrated on pushing it out, as if it were an extension of his own hands, feeling blindly at the space around him. It was so weird; he felt the walls, the felt the bed and Sans, he felt the door, and there was a tingling sensation that must have been the magic force field that kept them inside.

_‘If only I thought of this earlier, would have saved us some discomfort,’_ Papyrus thought wryly.

He tried to see if he could reach beyond, and was a little surprised when he could. There was a hallway directly outside their door, he felt rooms above him, possibly the laboratory, and then he brushed against something solid.

A horrifying thought occurred to him – would Dr. Gaster know he was doing this? Would he try to stop him? Was there a way for him to hide his magic? Was it too late?

“Ah, quite innovative, my boy; wasn’t quite sure that you had it in you.”

Papyrus gasped and nearly pulled away, but another energy latched on, as if a hand reached out to grab his wrist.

“No!” Papyrus gasped.

“Shh, it’s me, Papyrus,” his father said gently.

“How am I hearing you, Father?”

“We’re communicating through the magic, though I could imagine you must be speaking aloud,” Gaster chuckled. The warmth in his voice dispelled Papyrus’ fear that this could have been Dr. Gaster playing a trick. “Try to keep your voice down.”

Though Papyrus was sure that it wasn’t Dr. Gaster, he wasn’t so sure his own father could be trusted either, and voiced this concern with a cold, guarded tone.

“That is quite fair, my son. Reach more with your magic, you’ve only just brushed against me, and I think if you were to venture further you would find that I’m very much a prisoner myself.”

Papyrus did as he was told, and found that Gaster wasn’t lying about that, however he still questioned it all. He wanted to believe he was telling the truth, by the stars did he ever want to believe it with all his heart, but he had Sans to worry about; both the child sitting only a few feet from him and the adult a few worlds away from him.

Maybe this was why his brother was so cynical all this time?

“What do I do now? How do we get out of here?” Papyrus asked.

“Hard to say, my brushes with your reality have been rare occurrences. I can’t help but feel that Dr. Gaster may have a way back to reality, or I am certain he at least has a theory, however I’m sure he won’t come to any conclusions after speaking with you at great length over it.”

“Well, if all he wants to do is talk-”

“If only it were that simple. He is a scientist to the core; cold, logical, and willing to do anything in order to get the job done.”

“How in the world did you two become, well, two?”

“I figured that question would come up sooner or later,” Gaster sighed. “It is not a part of my personal history that I am proud of.”

Papyrus felt an odd pulling sensation. The world faded and he knew he was going in to see another memory; Gaster’s memory. Papyrus soon found he was standing in a laboratory, though this one was among the busiest and largest he had ever seen; monsters in lab coats walked in and out and across the room. Some seemed harried and lost in their own thoughts, while some were calm, chatting with colleagues or working on their own experiments.

It was easy to spot Gaster; most of the others wore pastel colors, beige or white pants under their white lab coats and Gaster seemed to be the only one in black and white. He seemed quite pensive as he glanced between the huge board in front of him and the pad in his hands.

“At this point in time, it has been about a month after the soul transplant. You are barely two months old,” Gaster’s voice was in his head. “But so much happened; right before the surgery, King Asgore had the soul of a human captured. I had been researching the nature of souls for years, and of course he now wanted me to shift from monster souls to human ones.”

_Asgore walked into the lab, then. Most of the scientists who weren’t engrossed in their work seemed to attempt to scramble out of the room without being too obvious about it._

_“Gaster, where are you on your project?” Asgore asked._

_“Not far, unfortunately,” Gaster said with a sigh, sliding off his glasses. “As I explained before, your highness, souls are complicated. Monster souls were complicated alone, but determination makes the human soul almost impossible to figure out. It’s not like I can cut it into pieces and find the answers.”_

_“You were able to save your son’s life doing just that. You cannot tell me you didn’t learn anything from it.”_

_“It was a gamble as it was. I cannot in good conscience continue the research in that fashion.”_

_The king gave him a hard look. “Then get rid of your conscience. You are a monster of science, are you not?”_

_Gaster visibly shuddered. “Sire, you ask the impossible.”_

_“Then perhaps you aren’t the great scientist I hired.”_

_Gaster didn’t like what the tone implied. “Sire, please, I, I have two children. They both very recently went through a major surgery; I don’t even know if the result will sustain my baby and if anything happens to him, my oldest will surely die of heartbreak.”_

_“Yes, I had heard. I was impressed by the story. After that, I would think you could do anything to further monster kind.”_

_Again, the tone in the king’s voice concerned Gaster. “Sire? Is there something that you are not telling me?”_

_“We are no longer looking for simply a way to break the barrier, Gaster. The humans may think the war is over, but it has just begun,” King Asgore took a step towards the board and glanced over the notes written in Gaster’s particular hand. There was no one else but the two of them. “I am hoping your research will also sustain us; if you understand the nature of souls, perhaps we can use that knowledge to our advantage to build our strength to defeat the humans.”_

_“So you are restarting a war that has been over for centuries?”_

_“No, Gaster, we are continuing where the humans ended. We will reach the surface, we will destroy humanity, and we will do it through any means necessary.”_

_Gaster’s hands were shaking and he almost dropped his pad. King Asgore turned from the board and passed the stunned scientist to leave, but he paused for a moment beside him._

_“If you want my continued support to provide for you and your children, you will obey your king,” Asgore murmured, and then he left the room._

“It was then,” the Gaster of today said. “That I came to the conclusion that I had to do whatever means necessary to fulfill the king’s orders.”

“You had to do what you felt was necessary to keep us safe,” Papyrus murmured.

“Yes. It cost me my humanity.”

The memories continued in silence, but no words were necessary as Papyrus watched. He could tell by the increasingly disappointed looks on Sans’ face as time went on and the way Gaster spent less time with them.

“Then I built the Core, and I fell in,” Gaster said with a sigh. “No real reason to go through the ins and outs of that,” the memories faded to just an image of Gaster falling. “Somehow via the Core, the Void drew me in. The Void, being made of magic and energy without much control, latched on to the fact that I had locked away part of myself so I could be the scientist. I locked away the humane being, my emotions, and the father in me so completely that the void tore me in two. My soul had split and the magic of the void manifested our bodies the way the magic saw fit.”

Papyrus watched as Gaster split into two; the form of himself he knew as his father, and the form of Dr. Gaster.

“We were lucky, in a way; the Void isn’t always so kind. That was why when I brought you in, I had to lessen the strain, though I’m sorry for causing strain in other ways,” Gaster sighed and let out a slight sob. “I was only trying to care for my boys. It was the worst mistake I ever made.”

“Oh, Father,” Papyrus sighed. “You tried, and you’re trying to do better! It wasn’t the worst possible mistake you could have made.”

“The subject is right,” Dr. Gaster’s voice boomed into the memory. “This is the worst mistake you could have made.”

Sharpened bones rained down as a bright flash of purple enveloped them.

Papyrus cried out in pain and was surprised when he opened his eyes to find that he had slid to the opposite side of the room. The back of his head had slammed into the wall, leaving a bruise.

“Papyrus? Hey!” Sans had woken up at his brother’s cry and he quickly hopped off the bed and stood over him. “Papyrus? What happened?”

“He has sealed your fate,” Dr. Gaster said.

He was standing at the door; since he was standing in the threshold, the force field was obviously turned off. He raised a hand and Sans was enveloped in a dark purple bubble and started dragging him towards the door.

“Hey!” Sans cried.

“I will start my experiments with you, since you are the one with only part of a soul,” Dr. Gaster said.

“NO! THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL NOT STAND FOR THAT!”

Papyrus stood and put out his own hand. His orange magic reached out and pulled at Sans. The two struggled for dominance, but Papyrus eventually won and Sans flew towards him. Papyrus wrapped his arms around him, falling back on the ground, tired, but still driven enough as he gripped the little Sans to his chest with one arm and summoned his bones with the other. His eyes glowed bright orange with rage.

“DON’T TOUCH MY BROTHER!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all!  
> Wow, just... Wow. The responses to this fic have been something else. Thank you all for sticking with me, even when I suck :-P


	16. Staying Determined

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Little Sans comes to a realization about Papyrus.  
> Meanwhile, back at the ranch, a week has gone by...

“DON’T TOUCH MY BROTHER!”

The bones flew and Dr. Gaster was slammed into the wall outside, one bone lodged in his right shoulder and another on his left side under his ribs. Other bones penetrated the wall around him.

“So you would rather have us stuck in the void?” Dr. Gaster said.

Papyrus hadn’t moved, his hand still stretched out, arm still clutching Sans, eyes still glowing. Sans was breathing hard and Papyrus could feel his fear and panic, which made him clutch his brother tighter.

“I will do what it takes to protect Sans,” Papyrus said, voice even though anger very apparent.

“Then allow me to study you both so we can return to reality,” Dr. Gaster said. “Together we can put an end to humanity, just as we monsters were meant to do.”

“IT IS NO LONGER LIKE THAT!” Papyrus got to his feet, scooping up Sans to hold him on his hip. “AND IF YOU ARE TOO STUBBORN TO SEE THAT, WELL, NYEH HEH HEH… YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE A BAD TIME.”

‘ _My brother is the coolest!_ ’ Sans thought.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

It had been a week since the incident and there had been no sign of Papyrus. Toriel’s house had become over-run with guests but she wouldn’t have had it otherwise. Alphys and Undyne shared the couch, and Frisk slept in her bed so that Asgore could sleep in their room.

But even with a house full of friends, a dark cloud hung over them all.

Sans was showing absolutely no signs of improvement. In fact, Alphys feared that he was getting worse. His bones started taking on a grey and yellowish hue and now the few breaths he did take all rattled. She was afraid to touch him to examine him, afraid that he would turn to dust the moment she made contact.

Frisk had kept in contact with Muffet and Tuffet, asking them to keep an eye out for Papyrus, but they still hadn’t seen him. Undyne wanted to go back to Snowdin herself, but Alphys begged her to stay; Alphys needed to stay close in case she could do something for Sans, but the poor monster had a nervous breakdown after every examination. Asgore had also contacted the monsters he could for answers but nothing ever came of it either.

Toriel continued as the motherly figure she always was; she cooked and baked up a storm, insisted on everyone eating as much as she could get them to eat, made sure everyone was comfortable and tried to be their rock.

“Frisk, my child,” she murmured that night, shaking the little sleeping body leaning on Sans’ bed.

Frisk groaned slightly as they attempted to sign, but they sighed and just gave up and allowed Toriel to lead them to bed.

“Sans will be there in the morning, I promise,” Toriel said, bending down to kiss Frisk on the forehead. “I will keep watch over him tonight.”

Frisk nodded and quickly dozed off. Toriel chuckled, tucking the blanket around Frisk and leaving the room quietly.

Going into the guest room, she found Undyne holding Alphys on her lap, both of them nodding off.

“Girls, go to bed,” she urged.

“What about-“ Undyne murmured sleepily as Alphys snorted in her sleep.

“I’ll take the night shift this time. You two have been here most of the day.”

“But, Toriel…”

“It’s not much of a watch if you’re sleeping, my dear,” Toriel said, rubbing her shoulder encouragingly. “Go down to the couch, I think Dr. Alphys could use a good night’s sleep cuddled with the one who loves her most.”

Undyne sighed and nodded. She moved her arms to carry Alphys bridal style and left the room. Toriel sighed and sank into the chair, scooting it a little closer to the bed. She rested her elbows on her knees, chin in her palms as she looked into Sans’ face.

“Hey Sans? Knock knock,” Toriel murmured. “Tock. Tock who? Tock to me, I’m lonely.”

Toriel gave a weak laugh, but then crumpled into a quiet sob as she covered her face with her hands. She wasn’t sure how long she cried, but it was long enough and perhaps she was louder than she anticipated. Soft hands rested on her shoulder, squeezing them gently.

“Oh, Tori,” Asgore murmured softly. “You know, you need to rest, too.”

Toriel did her best to stop crying, and while her sobs stopped, tears continued to leak from her eyes.

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” she said.

“You didn’t. I just finished speaking with another old acquaintance trying to see if they have any answers. Unfortunately it was another dead end.”

Toriel nodded, wiping away the tears that just wouldn’t stop.

“You’re still crying.”

“I’m fine.”

Asgore sighed and moved the chair back a little so he could kneel in front of her.

“Toriel,” Asgore said, taking his former wife’s hands in his, taking a moment to marvel at how soft they still were. “Tori, honey, you’re always trying to be strong.”

“Trying?” Toriel muttered, glaring at Asgore with a glint of defiance in her eyes. “I’ve beaten you like a pathetic whelp before.”

“I know, darling, trust me I know, wrong choice of words,” Asgore sighed, squeezing her hands. “You are strong, Tori, stronger than anyone I know, but,” he reached up the rubbed a thumb under her eye, wiping the stream of tears. “You don’t have to be so strong all of the time, especially when you’re surrounded by friends.”

Toriel glared at him defiantly despite her tears. He met the glare with a look of understanding and sympathy.

“What would Sans tell you if he was awake?” Asgore murmured.

Toriel’s lips quivered slightly. “He’d probably say that you got my goat.”

As she began to sob again, Asgore pulled her in for a hug, rubbing her back, and letting her cry.

“That’s a girl,” Asgore murmured. “There’s my sweet Toriel, the strongest monster in the entire world.”

Toriel cried for a few moments longer while Asgore continued to comfort her.

“It’s so horrible to watch him waste away,” Toriel said shakily with a small hiccup. “And what if Papyrus never returns? Or worse?! What if he comes back and it’s too late… I don’t think I could take his heartbreak…”

“Have faith, Toriel. You must stay determined.”

Toriel sighed. “Still using that line?”

Asgore snickered. “Still using horrible puns?”

In spite of everything, the two shared a laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, I don't ship Sans and Toriel as a romantic couple  
> :-P I don't necessarily ship Asgore and Toriel getting back together, either.  
> I'm no help :-D


	17. Papyrus Vs. Dr. Gaster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's father (sort of) versus son as Dr. Gaster faces off against Papyrus. But which one of them is going to have a bad time?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
>  I totally wrote this chapter listening to [SharaX's "Dark Darker Yet Darker" remix.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68wk6m05ojw)  
>   
> If you've never heard it, go check it out, as well as their other remix's, they really are amazing.

Sans held onto Papyrus’ shoulders tightly; he had moved to his brother’s backside so his hands could be free for attacks. Dr. Gaster pulled himself free of the bones pinning him fairly easily and brushed his sleeves.

“It is clear to me that you would say and do anything to save yourself and your brother,” Dr. Gaster said. “And you forget, child, you are in _my_ realm, and it responds to _my_ rules.”

The ground shook beneath them and the walls seemed to melt away into darkness. New walls formed and Papyrus realized that they were more or less standing in a battlefield.

“Now, I would personally like a visual spectator to get their opinions on the conduction of this experiment,” Dr. Gaster said, raising an arm up.

Against the wall behind him, Gaster materialized, still held fast to the wall.

“If you think for a single second that I’m going to cooperate-” Gaster started, but then was cut off by a tendril of energy clamping over his mouth.

“I am in no need of your verbalization as of yet,” Dr. Gaster snarled. He raised his arm towards Papyrus. “And I do believe it would be best if you were free of distractions as well. I do want this to be a proper experiment with few variables, after all.”

Sans cried out in surprise as a dark bubble enveloped him and lifted him from Papyrus’ back. They tried to keep a grip on one another, but Sans was hauled towards the same wall as Gaster and was held the same as him.

Before Sans had even touched the wall, Papyrus summoned bones to surround Dr. Gaster and they closed in on him. He swiped the air with his hand and the bones disintegrated. He blasted Papyrus with dark energy, but Papyrus easily dodged them all.

“Yeah! Go, bro!” Sans shouted.

Dr. Gaster lifted both of his arms and two creatures appeared behind him.

Papyrus frowned; they looked very similar to Sans’ blasters, even though he had only seen them once or twice himself. But, no matter, because he knew it didn’t matter what they looked like; they packed a strong attack and he knew that they were fast.

He just hoped he could be faster.

Dr. Gaster stretched his left arm towards Papyrus and the blasters moved. There was a hum as they powered up. Papyrus summoned bones to spin, forming a shield, but he knew that it wasn’t going to be enough.

The blasters fired and Papyrus rolled to the side. Another blaster went off and he rolled again, lifting the shield so the edge of the blast grazed off of it. The vibration made his arm feel numb, but he ignored it and got to his feet.

Papyrus reached out, attempting to use his energy to grip onto Dr. Gaster’s soul – since it wasn’t a full one, he should still be able to without too much trouble, right?

Dr. Gaster chuckled. “You’ve never used your magic against someone’s soul like that, have you?”

Dr. Gaster raised his right hand and curled his fingers into a fist. Papyrus gasped for air, suddenly finding he couldn’t breathe. Dark tendrils wrapped around his body and pulled him towards Dr. Gaster, bringing the two face to face.

“Interesting, you use magic in a far different way than myself,” Dr. Gaster murmured, walking around Papyrus and looking him up and down, studying him. “I would have thought you had some battle experience, what with your armor.”

Papyrus struggled again, but the magic tightened around him. He glanced up at his family; his brother was still fighting for his freedom, his father watched intently and gave Papyrus a determined look to convey that he believed he could do this.

_“S_ _ouls are such a complicated thing_ _,”_ Papyrus remembered Gaster saying. _“… t_ _here are so many factors to consider, like willpower, spirit, inner strength, love_ _…”_

Papyrus relaxed in the grip, feeling out again with his own magic, letting it brush and even mingle with Dr. Gaster’s. He could feel willpower, a certain amount of inner strength, but Papyrus knew that it was going to take more than that to take him down.

“As talented as you are with magic, I still have something that you don’t,” Papyrus said.

Dr. Gaster moved to face him again. “Oh? What is that?”

Papyrus let his magic go in a burst, tearing apart the magic binding him, and while Dr. Gaster shielded his eyes Papyrus summoned a bone staff and swung it at the taller creature’s knees as hard as he could. Dr. Gaster fell, sort of – he definitely lost his balance but he quickly moved his magic to allow him to float and Papyrus pointed his weapons menacingly.

“I’m willing to bet you don’t have any experience with close quarter combat,” Papyrus said with a smirk. “And I’ve been training with Undyne, Captain of the Royal Guard!”

Papyrus knew he was slightly bluffing, since the training he mostly did with Undyne was in cooking and not actual combat, but he figured some of the principle could still be applied.

“I suppose there is only one way to find out.”

Papyrus attacked first, hoping to keep Dr. Gaster off of his guard enough to keeping him from using his magic. Papyrus swung at him and he easily floated out of the way. He heard the blaster charging up behind his and he dodged their blasts and he quickly summoned up more bones to throw at their master.

“So if there is still a Royal Guard, how do you expect me to believe that humanity is no longer a threat?” Dr. Gaster asked, sounding very calm and collected, almost disturbingly so.

Papyrus rolled out of the way of another energy attack and swung at Dr. Gaster again.

“THAT WAS BEFORE! THE CHANGEOVER WAS VERY RECENT!!!” Papyrus shouted. He didn’t hear the blaster until it was too late and it singed his side.

“Recently? Then how do you know they aren’t just lulling you into a false state of security?” Dr. Gaster dodged another bone attack that Papyrus threw, but didn’t notice the blue bone which knocked him off balance.

“BECAUSE I BELIEVE IN THEM! I HAVE FAITH IN HUMANITY! SURE, THEY MESSED UP IN THE PAST, BUT I BELIEVE THEY CAN DO BETTER!” Papyrus summoned bones from the ground and above, hoping to pin Dr. Gaster. But he moved too quickly. “I WILL ALWAYS BELIEVE THEY CAN DO BETTER!”

Dr. Gaster stood and moved his arms in a circular motion, pulling energy in around him and releasing a blast at Papyrus, who pulled his shield up but the energy shattered it and knocked him to the ground. Dr. Gaster leapt at the opportunity, floating over to Papyrus and dropping on top of him, his knee digging into Papyrus’ injured side, his foot flat on Papyrus’ wrist, one hand pressed on his clavicle, the other hand in the air, holding a ball of energy. Papyrus could see the blasters just above them, likely aimed at his own head and ready for their master’s command.

“What say you now, test subject?” Dr. Gaster asked softly.

“I think you could do better, too.”

Dr. Gaster blinked; that was the last thing he expected out of the skeleton lying prone beneath him.

“I do,” Papyrus lifted his head, seeing the waver in Dr. Gaster’s eyes. “There was a time you were my father. You were Sans’ father. You were a kind and merciful monster who would do anything for his family.”

“And I did, which is why I am _not_ your father, and I am nothing like that pitiful subject against the wall.”

Papyrus sighed and gave Dr. Gaster a sad smile. “You’re right, and that is the one thing you and I _do_ have in common.”

“What, pray tell, is that?”

“I’m also willing to do anything for my family.”

Dr. Gaster noticed out of the corner of his eye a large, glowing ball of orange energy coming from the hand that he was stepping on. That hand was facing Gaster and Sans. The hand that released that ball of energy and he knew it was going to nullify his own magic and free his two captors. His only gambling chips against Papyrus.

But he also knew that Papyrus had depleted whatever was left of his magic reserve and knew that this had to end. He turned back to Papyrus to release his own energy and order his blasters to fire. If Dr. Gaster didn't kill him, he was going to make Papyrus wish he were dead.

Papyrus put his head back down and closed his eyes with a smile, knowing he did his best, he pushed his limits, and he accepted his fate.


	18. You Can't Choose Your Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, let's just see what happens next, shall we?

“ ** _PAPYRUS!_** ” Sans shouted.

“No!” Gaster cried.

Gaster had been gathering his energy the moment he was taken captive, waiting for the right moment to release. He aimed for the blasters, seeing them as the largest threat. He worried about the attack Dr. Gaster had himself, but he saw a blast of blue energy hit his hand just before a little skeleton tackled him.

“GET DUNKED ON!” Sans shouted as he leapt at Dr. Gaster.

Gaster ran over to Papyrus, who tried to get to his feet quickly but stumbled.

“Papyrus, you’re hurt,” Gaster said, helping him sit up.

“We have to get out of here,” Papyrus said with a wince, holding his side. He had all but forgotten he no longer had his battle body.

“Agreed.”

“You fool,” Dr. Gaster growled, turning towards Sans as he got to his feet. “Perhaps you should take your brother’s place.”

“Nope, we’re done here.”

Sans’ whole body glowed blue, his eyes glowing yellow, blue magic energy swirled around him. He raised his hand and Dr. Gaster was lifted into the air. Sans threw him to the ground, threw him against the wall, raised his hand to toss him up and he hit the ceiling before being slammed to the ground again. Sans pressed him down into the floor, trying to crush him.

“No, Sans, please stop it,” Papyrus begged.

“Why?” Sans asked, his eyes never leaving the figure he kept held on the floor. “He didn’t show either of us mercy. He would kill us the second he gets a chance. He nearly killed you!” Sans blinked in realization. Some of his magic died down but he still had his grip on Dr. Gaster, his eyes now flickering between yellow and blue as he turned to Papyrus. “… and you were about to let him kill you.”

“Nyeh heh, well, my goal was to save my family, and I did,” Papyrus said, leaning against his father a little more than he intended. “I had faith that you would help me, too.”

Sans shook his head. “I should know that, too, but I barely believe it. You came here to save your brother, _your_ Sans, back in reality; if you’re dead, you can’t you know.”

“Yeah,” Papyrus nodded. “But if anything happens to you, it’s all for naught.”

“What do we do with him?” Sans asked.

“Leave him be, we have to get out of here,” Gaster said, helping Papyrus to his feet.

“Heh,” Dr. Gaster chuckled from his spot on the floor with a gasp. “I’ll just come after you, you know.”

“He’s right,” Sans said, turning back to him and using just a little more pressure to press him into the floor.

Gaster chuckled. “He won’t, but we have to be careful. Keep a hold of him, Sans.”

Sans opened one eye a little wider, confused, but he went with it. “Gladly.”

“Don’t hurt him,” Papyrus murmured as he slowly stumbled with Gaster’s help to where they were.

“What are we doing?” Sans asked when they were close.

“Just be ready for my signal,” Gaster instructed.

Papyrus watched in a slight daze as Gaster gathered his magic and drew an oval in the air, creating a portal.

“Let’s go, Sans,” Gaster said, pushing Papyrus through before grabbing the little skeleton’s hand and yanking him along as he jumped through as well.

The last thing they heard was the angry shouting of Dr. Gaster as they disappeared into the ether.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Papyrus didn’t know how long he was drowning in panic. He tried to call, but no sound came out, he reached out but felt nothing, there was no sound, no light, nothing.

“It’s okay, son, open your eyes,” the voice of Gaster murmured close by.

His eyes were closed?

Papyrus shook his head and then blinked. He was standing up mostly on his own; Gaster was smiling at him and Sans was hugging his leg.

“Wowie, what in the world was that?” Papyrus asked.

“Teleporting. It takes an incredible amount of my energy, but we had no choice,” Gaster explained with a sigh. He did look extremely tired.

“You all right?” Sans asked.

“Yes, I will be fine.”

“How do we know he won’t come after us?”

“Dr. Gaster is bound to his laboratory,” Gaster explained. “His dedication to his work keeps him there because the energy and magic there sustain him. I have the ability to move, thus why I wander the void and he does not. Granted, now, I won’t be able to return to him for a while, lest he will likely try to end my life.”

“Can he do that?” Papyrus asked worriedly.

Gaster chuckled. “I did say ‘try.’ I doubt he would succeed, after all, if nothing else, the instinct for self-preservation is strong. Perhaps after some time passes, logic will overtake him again and he will realize he has no true reason for being upset with me.”

“What happens now?” Sans asked, leaning heavily against Papyrus.

“Are you all right?” Papyrus asked, kneeling down and putting his hand on Sans’s shoulders, searching his face for answers.

“Tired,” Sans murmured.

“He used up a good amount of his magic,” Gaster said with a frown after putting his hand on the top of his head. “As much as I hate to admit it, I must get you boys back home. Papyrus, you must return your brother’s soul piece to him.”

Papyrus felt a guilty tug at his chest as he cupped little Sans’s cheekbones in his hands. Part of him didn’t want to give up this little Sans, this tiny skeleton that was his brother. But he missed the brother he knew so badly, and deep down he knew they would die without one another.

There was a possibility that his Sans was already gone.

“It’s okay, Papyrus,” Sans murmured, as if reading his brother’s mind. “I don’t belong like this. All in all, I’m not really real; I’m just a small piece of your brother’s soul with your memories,” something like tears started forming in his eyes. “I, I want to go home, bro.”

Papyrus felt tears in his eyes, too, and hugged his little brother close.

“Okay, let’s go home,” Papyrus murmured. He looked up at Gaster. “How do we get home?”

Gaster nodded. “I’m sorry to say we have a walk ahead of us. But I should be able to get you home. Are you up to it, Papyrus?”

Papyrus got back to his feet with a slight wince; his side still hurt and he still felt drained. But he knew he still had to uphold his first and foremost duty; being the world’s greatest brother!

“The Great Papyrus is always up for anything!” Papyrus said with a grin.

Gaster nodded and smiled. “That’s my boy.”

Sans gave him a dubious look; he was exhausted and sure, he knew he overdid it with his magic, but there was no way in the stars he was going to let Dr. Gaster destroy his brother. Papyrus had an actual all out battle, he had never once seen his brother sleep, and if his memories could be trusted, Papyrus mostly slept just before he hit the point of unbelievable exhaustion.

“Are you sure you’re up for this bro?” Sans asked.

Papyrus gave him a weak smile, but he did sigh. “What choice do I have?”

Gaster went over and caught both of them up in an embrace with a contented sigh.

“My boys,” he murmured. “How I wish I had more time to spend with you.”

He gave them a squeeze and then reluctantly let go. He tilted his head in a direction and began walking. After sharing a sad glace, Papyrus and Sans followed.


	19. All's Well That Ends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus is on the final leg of his journey, but can he keep Sans' soul piece alive?  
> Will he arrive home too late, or arrive home at all?  
> Strap in for the final chapter!

“Father, what is the strange language that you and Sans know?” Papyrus asked. “He never told me, and I never really learned it, I’m sorry to say.”

“You would call it ‘hands,’ and do not fret about not learning it. It can be very difficult to learn; Sans was exceptionally clever with it,” Gaster glanced over his shoulder and beamed at Papyrus. “Just like you are exceptionally clever with your kindness and friendship; your brother was always a little more guarded.”

Papyrus nodded. “Father?”

“Yes?”

“Will I be able to find you here again?”

“I’m sorry to say that it would be quite difficult,” Gaster sighed. “But I will continue to try to find a way to communicate with you boys; that I can promise.”

“Father?”

“Son?”

“A… Are you disappointed in me?”

Gaster stopped short. Papyrus did too. Sans mumbled; Papyrus was carrying him and he was fast asleep on his shoulder.

“How could I possibly be disappointed? Papyrus, my son,” Gaster went to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “One of my biggest regrets was never getting to know you. You were barely a toddler when the accident happened, and by then, the monster you see me as now was locked away. With you being here, I was able to see some of your memories, I saw some of what you have done, what your life has become, and I couldn’t be more proud of you, or your brother. You both have just…”

Gaster shuddered, holding back tears. Papyrus put an arm around his shoulders and pulled his father in for a hug.

“Oh, Papyrus, I know you understand now what it means to be a brother, both a younger and older one, but nothing will ever prepare you for the level of love a father has for his child. Even if you did something horrible, I would still love you. If I could give my all again for you and your brother, I would in a heartbeat.”

“We know, Father.”

Gaster nodded, gathering himself again and he straightened. “Yes, and speaking of you two, we need to get you back.”

“How will that be done?” Papyrus asked, hitching up Sans’ sleeping form as they began walking again.

“I had been searching for the right spot since Dr. Gaster captured me by reaching out with my magic, like you had done. Thin spots between the void and reality are a bit of a rarity, but thankfully we don’t necessarily need one. I was lucky when I brought you here. But now that Sans’ soul is separated from you, that will make it a little easier as the soul wants to be whole again more than anything else.”

“So, how _do_ we put Sans’ soul back together?”

“The real question is how are you going to keep it safe as you travel?” Gaster sighed. “As such, I’m sorry to say that it won’t be easy on you. Remember when I told you I had used a type of chloroform to get you here? Well, not only to reduce the shock from the trip, but it kept you relaxed. Going through the void’s barrier is a highly unpleasant experience, and I’m sorry that you will have to endure it upon returning.”

“How do I keep his soul safe?”

“Keep a tight hold, but you will also have to let it guide you back to reality. It should put you wherever Sans is, then the soul will do the rest. If there are any difficulties, you may have to pull out Sans’ soul.”

Papyrus’ head began to spin and he stopped walking as he began to shake.

“Papyrus?”

“W-what if I c-can’t?” he asked, his voice constricted as he gripped onto the little Sans tighter, causing the little skeleton to grunt uncomfortably.

Gaster went to him and put his hands on his son’s shoulders. “Trust in your memories and the love you have for your brother. It is a lot, I know, but you can do this, Papyrus. You must, for Sans.”

Papyrus nodded, feeling less and less sure of himself.

“Good boy, now really, I fear we are wasting too much time.”

Their pace quickened, and Papyrus was beginning to wonder how much further when Gaster stopped.

“Here we are,” he said, waving his arm again the same way he did when he made the portal.

Another oval opened, but in this one, a strange landscape spread out before them. Odd shapes and colors seemed to swirl around, making it look beautiful, terrifying, and dangerous all at once. Papyrus peered a little deeper and he felt he could see in the distance a window; was that a window into reality?

“Now what?” Papyrus asked.

“You step through, think of home, and let Sans’ soul guide you there.”

Papyrus looked down at the small body in his arms, again feeling that guilt. “Why do I feel like I’m condemning him to death?”

“You’re not,” Sans murmured as he stirred from his sleep. He opened his eyes slowly, his mouth frowning slightly. “Please, Papyrus, I want to go home. Sans is waiting for us both.”

Papyrus snuggled the little skeleton. “I still feel like a horrible big brother.”

Sans reached up with a hand and tilted Papyrus’ jaw so he was looking at him. Sans’ grin turned up a little.

“I, well, your Sans had asked you if he was a good brother. You wondered who would tell you that you were being a good brother, if Sans wasn’t around. I’m telling you that you are, and by doing this, you are doing him and me the best thing ever. We need to be whole again, Papyrus. Besides,” his grin widened, “it’s not a _small_ matter.”

Papyrus tried to glare, tried to frown, but he couldn’t. He laughed and hugged the little Sans tightly.

“Keep that tight hold on him,” Gaster said, voice shaking.

Papyrus nodded. Gaster pulled the two into a tight hug.

“Maybe one day, we can be together again,” Papyrus said. “I’ll talk to Sans when he is better, maybe there is a way we can bring you back.”

“Don’t make any promises you may not be able to keep, my son. But I will also try to see if I can find a way out of this wretched place. In the meantime, take good care of each other.”

“We will,” Sans promised.

“We will,” Papyrus echoed. “I love you, Father.”

“I love you too, son.”

Gaster forced himself to let go, keeping one hand at Papyrus’ back and urging him toward the portal. Papyrus gripped Sans tightly, glanced back at Gaster who gave him an encouraging nod, and then turned to the portal and took a deep breath.

“THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL NOT FAIL!” he declared.

One more step forward and the two skeletons were gone.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

The last thing Toriel ever expected her house to become was a funeral parlor.

Well, perhaps the thought was a little dramatic, but that’s what she felt had happened to her guest room. It was now two weeks since Papyrus went missing. Even Alphys was having a difficult time assessing whether or not the short skeleton was still breathing. His bones were definitely an ashen grey and they feared any moment, he would be nothing but dust.

They had questioned whether they had given up hope or if they were just preparing for the inevitable when they all found themselves sitting in the guest room, surrounding Sans, and dressed in mostly dark clothing and speaking very little.

“Frisk, still nothing from the Underground?” Undyne asked.

Frisk shook their head. Frisk had missed school the majority of the week and had become all but completely mute – they didn’t sign and mostly answered with sighs, shrugs, and head movements.

“I just can’t imagine what happened to Papyrus,” Toriel murmured, hugging Frisk tight. “For him to be gone so long, no word, no note, no phone call or text.”

“I swear I’m going to kill that punk when he shows up again,” Undyne growled.

“Undyne,” Alphys said, patting her on the knee.

Undyne was never particularly good at showing many other emotions beyond extreme excitement and anger; anger came out more when she was worried, but Alphys wanted to keep her calm as this was not the time for outbursts.

Unfortunately, the fish monster wasn’t having it and she stood up.

“No! Screw that! Screw him! How could he abandon his brother like this?!” Undyne shouted.

“He went to get help!” Toriel said defensively. “I’m sure there is a perfectly logical explanation for all of this.”

Undyne opened her mouth to shout again, completely ignoring Alphys pulling at her shoulder and begging her in stutters to calm down, when suddenly a loud bang made it sound like a bomb exploded in the room. Everyone covered their ears, Toriel and Alphys shrieked, and when everyone looked up again they saw an oval-shaped hole had appeared in the ceiling.

“NYYYEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHH!!!”

Papyrus fell out of the hole and fell face down, flat on the floor next to the bed.

Everyone stared in shock, wondering if what they saw was real as the hole disappeared.

Papyrus grunted and pulled himself up onto the bed next to his brother. He looked horrible; a large bruise was on the back of his head, his shirt had what looked almost like scorch-marks, and they noticed the battle body was gone, and somehow he had the appearance of being thinner, exhausted; whatever he had been through had not been pleasant. He was also clutching his chest with one hand.

“P-P-Papyrus!” Alphys cried.

“WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?!?” Undyne shrieked.

Most of them had moved forward, but suddenly a pale orange bubble covered the bed and the two skeletons, pushing everyone back and forcing them to keep their distance. Papyrus didn’t look at either of them or pay them any attention as he just bent over his brother.

“What is this?” Undyne asked.

“It’s a force field. Whatever is going on, he doesn’t want our interference,” Toriel said, quickly putting it all together.

“Sans? Sans, I’m back, Sans, and here, I brought you something.”

Papyrus slowly took his hand away from his chest, revealing a small, blue diamond that was shuddering in his palm. He pulled the blanket covering Sans down a bit to reveal the upper part of his body. Papyrus moved closer, putting the blue diamond over his chest, then cupping his hand over it as if trying to push it into him.

“Please work, please work,” Papyrus muttered, shaking. “Please, Sans, come back to me.”

It was a tense few minutes, but the little diamond slowly sank below the white shirt and Papyrus knew it was rejoining the rest of his soul. He put shaky hands on his brother’s cheekbones.

“Come on, Sans, I know you’re in there somewhere,” Papyrus murmured. “Please just…”

It was a moment frozen in time; Frisk was holding onto Toriel’s dress, Asgore had stepped forward to hold her hand comfortingly, Undyne had her hands on Alphys’ shoulders, Alphys’ hands covered hers, Papyrus kneeling over Sans, and the force field humming quietly.

After some time, they started to notice that the ashen appearance of Sans’ bones was starting to fade. His breathing was becoming obvious again as his chest began to slowly rise and fall. Very slowly, Sans’ hand reached up and touched Papyrus gently on his face.

“P-Papyrus,” he murmured weakly, his eyes opening slowly.

“Sans?”

“Hey, bro.”

Papyrus started to cry. “I knew you’d come back to me.”

Sans’ grin widened a little. “Heh. You’re exhausted, Papyrus.”

Papyrus nodded slowly and then collapsed on top of his brother. Sans chuckled weakly, the hand on Papyrus’ face went to the top of his head, his other hand rested on Papyrus’ shoulder, and he closed his eyes again. The force field dropped.

Alphys moved forward, looking over the two. “I think the danger has passed.”

The whole room gave a collective sigh of relief.

“Well, I can hardly believe that they’ll be comfortable like that. We can move Papyrus into my bed,” Toriel said, stepping forward and moving to put a hand on his shoulder.

Sans suddenly opened his left eye and it glowed blue.

“Don’t. Touch. My. Brother.”

Toriel nearly leapt back. Sans’ eye closed again, and she chuckled along with Undyne.

“Protective nerds,” Undyne said.

“Let’s leave them be,” Toriel agreed, turning to usher them all out of the room.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Papyrus groaned loudly. Everything hurt; his head, his spine, his feet, even his teeth hurt. When he opened his eyes, everything looked fuzzy. He blinked to clear it, but it was slow.

“Morning, bro.”

“Sans?!”

Papyrus became aware of an arm around his shoulder and knew by instinct who it belonged to.

“Relax, Pap, you’ve been out for a while. So have I, apparently.”

Papyrus rubbed his eyes and that seemed to help a little as he looked up and his brother’s grinning face finally swam into his vision.

“SANS! THANK THE STARS YOU’RE ALL RIGHT!” Papyrus cried, reaching up to touch Sans’ face to reassure himself that this was for real.

Sans chuckled and tightened his grip around his brother. “Yeah, bro, I’m all right, thanks to you. But seriously, calm down, apparently you’ve been through hell and back.”

“I’M PERFECTLY ALL RIGHT! NOTHING IS TOO MUCH For the great-”

Sans had raised an eyebrow ridge when Papyrus started talking and it went higher as he attempted to sit up, but he slumped back down as his pupils began to roll in his eye sockets. Sans cradled him back into his original position, lying on his side, his head resting on San’s chest.

Papyrus’ body started to shake and he started to cry as everything crashed down on him at once; Sans’ condition, finding no clear answers, traveling to the void, meeting their father, Dr. Gaster, the operation, and every other emotional and physical reaction he had to suppress in order to keep going.

“Hey, hey, what’s the matter? Papyrus, everything is all right,” Sans murmured, caressing the top of his brother’s skull.

“Sans, I kn-know what you d-did for m-me when y-you were li-little,” Papyrus stammered through his tears.

Sans’ breath caught. “What do you mean?”

“I was going to die.”

Sans’s grip tightened. “H-how did you know?”

Papyrus wiped his tears away and looked up. “Sans, I met our father.”

Sans’ eyes went blank. “What?”

“I did! I met our father, Sans, though, he’s a lot different than I imagined he would be.”

“How- Where- where did you see Dad?!”

Papyrus told Sans the whole story, from Frisk following him and fighting Tuffet to the Little Sans and fighting Dr. Gaster.

“I don’t really know what happened after Father sent me here,” Papyrus said with a yawn. “I remember falling, clutching your soul piece to me, everything hurt so bad but…” another yawn. “Then I was here, and you’re all right. Why am I so tired?”

Sans hugged him tightly again. “Like I said, through hell and back. Go to sleep, lazy bones.”

“That’s my line.”

With that, Papyrus was out again.

Sans sighed, looking down at his little brother, still incredulous over the fact that Papyrus had found their father. The rest of it didn’t surprise him all that much, even that the void had split his father into two beings. Since he had watched the monster he knew his father to be slowly disappear and the cold scientist take over, it just made all the more sense.

But there was another matter that was just a tad more pressing for him to attend to.

“Come on in, Frisk,” Sans called.

The door creaked open and the child stepped into the room.

“How did you know?” Frisk asked.

“Heh, sixth sense. C’mere, kiddo.”

Frisk shoved one of the chairs next to the bed and climbed into it, then leaned forward so Sans could run his fingers through their hair.

“So how much did you hear?” Sans asked.

“What other things have you hidden from Papyrus? From the rest of us?” was the reply.

Sans shrugged. “Hind sight is twenty-twenty, kid. I didn’t think it was necessary at the time. Heh, I was so relieved that my baby bro was going to be all right that I sort of forgot about it. Dad reminded me when he was really starting to lose his mind; he wanted to use me in an experiment. I had to remind him that I was his son and not his test subject. That was awkward.”

“You still didn’t answer my question.”

Sans sighed, his fingers tracing the edges of the bruise Papyrus still had on the back of his skull – he must have taken more than one hit in the same sport for that one – considering his words somewhat carefully.

“One of these days, kid, you’ll learn that sometimes it is best to keep certain things to yourself. Even with this, nothing was guaranteed, so what would have been the purpose of worrying Papyrus over something that might not even happen?”

“Alphys knew.”

“Because number one, she’s a scientist. Number two, as such, she inherited some of Dad’s files. One of them was mine. To be fair here, she had to ask me several times and bribe me with ketchup before I gave in.”

Frisk nodded, seeming to understand and they both sat in silence for a moment.

Sans’ eyes were starting to close when Toriel knocked softly.

“Who’s there?” Sans said, allowing his eyes to continue to close.

“Dishes.”

Sans snorted. “Dishes who?”

“Dishes a joke that’s being repeated,” Toriel said as she came in.

“Heh heh. Yes it was. Come on, Tori, you could have done better.”

“When one’s mind is dedicated to worry, jokes don’t come so easily.”

“Speak for yourself.”

“I thought I heard Papyrus, is he all right?”

“We had some bro time. He’s okay, just bone tired. I think his trip left him a little rattled.”

Toriel snickered softly while Frisk rolled their eyes.

“Oh, this was on the doorstep,” Toriel said, handing Sans a bundle of red fabric.

Sans opened his eyes, then opened them wider; it wasn’t so much the red bundle as the piece of paper attached to it. He nearly snatched it from Toriel’s hands as she came closer.

“Is that Papyrus’ scarf?” Frisk asked.

Sans took the note, glancing over at the fabric and recognizing it as Papyrus’ most precious possession. He looked at the note with wide, wondering eyes, his pupils moving fast as he scanned the symbols. After a moment, with a long, drawn-out sigh, he lay back on the pillows.

“What does it say?” Toriel asked.

“It doesn’t matter.”

Toriel nodded, deciding not to press, and she pat Frisk on the shoulder. “Come help me make the boys some pie?”

Frisk nodded, taking the hint. They went to the bed, bending over to kiss Papyrus and Sans on the cheek before almost skipping out the door.

“Frisk was really worried, Sans. So was I.”

“I’d be worried too if I thought one of you guys were turning to dust.”

“I’m so glad that you are all right.”

Sans smiled at her. “Thanks, Tori, you know, for everything.”

Toriel smiled and kissed the two brothers on top of their heads before she let them be.

Sans snuggled a little deeper under the covers, careful of his brother, who continued to be a warm, welcome weight on his side. He nuzzled his skull gently.

“Love you, Papyrus,” Sans murmured.

“Love you too, Sans,” Papyrus murmured in his sleep.

Sans closed his eyes and soon the room was filled with the soft snores of the two brothers. The note was still lightly clutched in Sans’ hand.

 

**_DEAR SANS,_ **

**_I’M SURE BY NOW PAPYRUS HAS TOLD YOU EVERYTHING. I HOPE YOU WON’T MIND READING THIS TO HIM AS THIS IS THE ONLY LANGUAGE I CAN WRITE IN. I CANNOT BE CERTAIN YOU REMEMBER HOW TO READ HANDS EITHER THOUGH. I WISH I COULD BE WITH YOU BOYS AGAIN, AND PERHAPS ONE DAY WE WILL FIND A WAY. FOR NOW, KNOW THAT I AM PROUD OF THE BOTH OF YOU AND I LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART._ **

**_LOVE,  
FATHER_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone enjoyed my first complete Undertale fanfic! It's been quite the journey and I was almost in tears writing the last chapter. I had so much fun writing this, and it's been wonderful hearing from many of you and I am honored to have entertained you all for a bit and I hope to continue in the near future.
> 
> Come join me on Tumblr, send some asks about anything, and I will see all of you at the next fic!
> 
> Thank you and goodnight! <3

**Author's Note:**

> If you want to chat, I'm available on Tumblr, also by [SoloShikigami](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/soloshikigami)
> 
> I have a [Book Cover!](https://soloshikigami.tumblr.com/post/144660426728/i-cant-draw-worth-jack-but-i-can-rock-publisher)


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